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HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 

A COLLECTION OF USEFUL PRACTICAL HINTS, IDEAS, 

WRINKLES and SUGGESTIONS, GIVING DIRECTIONS 

FOR MAKING VARIOUS TOOLS and APPLIANCES 

THAT WILL LESSEN THE WORK OF THE 

CARPENTER and JOINER 



JL± .-LASi — . 



Compiled and Edited 
by 

ALBERT FAIR ,- 

Author of "Steel Square as a Calculating Machine" "Practical 
House Framing/' "Short Cuts in Carpentry," etc. 



ILLUSTRATED BY 100 ENGRAVINGS 



NEW YORK 

INDUSTRIAL BOOK COMPANY 

1909 



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HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 




Copyright Secured 1909 



BY 



INDUSTRIAL BOOK COMPANY 



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2 00 


SEP 


28 


1909 



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PREFACE 

THE object of this book is to bring together in a con- 
venient form, for easy reference, some of the best 
practical hints and schemes of various practical men. 

Not a mere one-man or one-idea book,- but a book really 
made by various practical men and one that will be very 
useful to the old experienced carpenter, as well as to the 
young beginner. 

All of the matter in this book was published in The 
Practical Carpenter, and it was at the suggestion of the 
editor, Mr. Charles G. Peker, that the task of selecting, 
arranging and editing the suitable matter was undertaken 
by me. 

The task, however, was a very pleasant one, with the 
knowledge that the information here given will make the 
work of the carpenter easier and better. 

Albert Fair. 
New York, January 6, 1909. 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



LVERY carpenter worthy of the name takes pride in 
his work and has good tools to work with. Not tools 
that were good, but that are good by being well cared 
for. The metal parts are not rusty, the cutting edges are 
keen and not broken here and there. The handles are tight 
— everything is in working order. 

In the following pages a number of practical hints 
and recipes are given for the care, repair, sharpening, re- 
moving rust, and the selection of tools. 

A safe rule to follow in making purchases is to buy 
tools made by a well-known firm, but there are constantly 
new tools being put on the market by new firms that are of 
some special value, and therefore all carpenters should know 
how to select a serviceable tool. Remember that a good, 
honestly made tool has got to be sold at a good price — 
the most expensive tools are the "cheap" ones. 

Carpenters pay particular attention when they buy 
saws, squares and planes, but outside of these they do not 
seem to be as particular. 



6 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



It is not generally known that the light of the sun and 
the moon exercise a destructive effect on edge tools. 
Knives, drills, scythes and sickles assume a blue color if 
they are exposed for some length of time to the light and 
heat of the sun ; the sharp edge disappears, and the tool 
is rendered absolutely useless until it is retempered. Pur- 
chasers should therefore be on their guard against buying 
tools from retail dealers and peddlers, which for show pur- 
poses have probably been exposed for days together to the 
glare of the sun. The unserviceableness of tools acquired 
under these conditions is generally wrongly attributed to 
bad material or to inferior workmanship. A similar preju- 
dicial effect has been exercised by moonlight. An ordinary 
crosscut saw is asserted to have been put out of shape in 
a single night by exposure to the moon. 

No man should use a dull tool. If there is time to use 
it, there ought to be time to keep it in good order. 

There is nothing like having an exact place for every 
tool and keeping it there when not in use. 

Keeping tools in good order is as necessary as keeping 
them in proper place. 

THE CARE OF TOOLS 

The wooden parts of tools, such as the stocks of planes 
and handles of chisels, are often made to have a nice ap- 
pearance by French polishing, but this adds nothing to 
their durability. A much better plan is to let them soak 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 7 

in linseed oil for a week, and rub them with a cloth for a 
few minutes every day for a week or two. This produces 
a beautiful surface and at the same time exerts a solidify- 
ing and preserving action on the wood. The following 
recipes are recommended for preventing rust on iron and 
steel surfaces : 

1. Caoutchouc oil is said to have proved efficient in 
preventing rust and to have been adopted by the German 
army. It only requires to be spread with a piece of flannel 
in a very thin layer over the metallic surface, and allowed 
to dry up. Such a coating will afford security against 
all atmospheric influences and will not show any cracks 
under the microscope after a year's standing. To remove 
it the article has simply to be treated with caoutchouc oil 
again and washed again after twelve to twenty-four hours. 

2. A solution of india-rubber in benzine has been 
used for years as a coating for steel, iron and lead, and 
has been found a simple means of keeping them from 
oxidizing. It can be easily applied with a brush, and is 
easily rubbed off. It should be made about the consistency 
of cream. 

3. All steel articles can be perfectly preserved from 
rust by putting a lump of freshly burnt lime in the drawer 
or case in which they are kept. If the things are to be 
moved — as a gun in its case, for instance — put the lime in 
a muslin bag. This is especially valuable for specimens 
of iron when fractured, for in a moderately dry place the 



8 HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 

lime will not want renewing for many years, as it is capable 
of absorbing a large amount of moisture. Articles in 
use should be placed in a box nearly rilled with thoroughly 
slaked lime. Before using them rub well with a woolen 
cloth. 

4. The following mixture forms an excellent brown 
coating for preventing iron and steel from rust: Dissolve 
two parts crystallized iron chloride, two antimony chloride, 
and one tannin in four of water, and apply with sponge or 
rag, and let dry. Then another coat of paint is applied, 
and again another if necessary, until the color becomes 
dark as desired. When dry it is washed with water, allowed 
to dry again, and the surface polished with boiled linseed 
oil. The antimony chloride must be as near neutral as 
possible. 

5. To keep tools from rusting: Take !/2 oz - °f cam- 
phor, dissolve in 1 lb. melted lard; take off the scum, and 
mix in as much fine black lead (graphite) as will give it 
an iron color. Clean the tools and smear with this mix- 
ture. After twenty-four hours rub clean with a soft linen 
cloth. The tools will keep clean for months under ordinary 
circumstances. 

6. Put one quart freshly slaked lime, % lb. washing 
soda, y 2 lb. soft soap in a bucket, and sufficient water to 
cover the articles ; put in the tools as soon as possible after 
use, and wipe them up next morning, or let them remain 
until wanted. 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 9 

7. Soft soap, with half its weight in pearl ash, 1 oz. 
of mixture in about one gallon boiling water, is in every-day 
use in most engineers' shops in the drip-cans used for turn- 
ing long articles wrought in wrought iron and steel. The 
work, though constantly moist, does not rust, and bright 
nuts are immersed in it for days till wanted, and retain 
their polish. 

8. Mix slowly together 6 oz. or 8 oz. lard to 1 oz. 
resin, stirring till cool ; when it is semi-fluid, it is ready for 
use. If too quick, it may be further let down by coal oil oi 
benzine. Rubbed on bright surfaces ever so thinly, it pre- 
serves the polish effectually, and may be readily rubbed off. 

9. To prevent metal from oxidation : polished iron 
or steel for instance, the requisite is to exclude air and 
moisture from the actual metallic surface; therefore, pol- 
ished tools are usually kept in wrappings of oil-cloth and 
brown paper, and thus protected they will preserve a spot- 
less face for an unlimited time. When these metals come 
to be of necessity exposed in being converted to use, it is 
necessary to protect them by means of some permanent 
dressing, and boiled linseed oil, which proves a lasting 
covering, as it dries on, is one of the best preservatives, if 
not the best. But in order to give it body it should be 
thickened by the addition of some pigment, and the very 
best, because the most congenial of pigments, is the ground 
oxide of the same metal, or, in plain words, rusted iron, 



10 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



reduced to an impalpable powder, for the dressing of iron 
and steel, which thus forms the pigment or oxide paint. 

10. Slake a piece of quicklime with just enough water 
to cause it to crumble in a covered pot, and while hot add 
tallow to it and work into paste, and use this to cover 
over bright work. It can be easily wiped off. 

11. Olmsted's varnish is made by melting 2 oz. resin 
in 1 lb. fresh sweet lard, melting the resin first, and then 
adding the lard, and mixing thoroughly. This is applied to 
the metal, which should be warm, if possible, and per- 
fectly cleaned; it is afterwards rubbed off. This has been 
well proved and tested for many years, and is particularly 
well suited for planished and Russian iron surfaces, which 
a slight rust is apt to injure very seriously. 

12. Take 2 oz. of tallow and 1 oz. of resin; melt 
together and strain, while hot, to remove the specks which 
are in the resin. Apply a slight coat on the tools with a 
brush, and it will keep off the rust for any length of time. 

RUST REMOVERS 

1. Cover the metal with sweet oil, well rubbed in, 
and allow to stand for forty-eight hours; smear with oil 
applied freely with a feather or piece of cotton-wool after 
rubbing the steel. Then rub with unslaked lime reduced to 
as fine a powder as possible. 

2. Immerse the article to be cleaned for a few min- 
utes, until all the dirt and rust is taken off, in a strong solu- 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 11 

tion of potassium cyanide, say about ^ oz. in a wineglass- 
ful of water, take it out and clean it with a toothbrush 
with some paste composed of potassium cyanide, castile 
soap, whiting and water mixed into a paste of about a 
consistency of thick cream. 

MARKING TOOLS 

From the wails that most carpenters make about how 
they lose their tools, it almost seems that the command- 
ment "Thou shalt not steal" was never given. 

A good plan is to mark your tools with a distinctive 
punch mark, so that it will only be seen on close examina- 
tion. The thief, thinking they are not marked, may after a 
while be bold enough to use it openly when you are around. 
And if you should catch him? 

The common method is to use an etching liquid ; a good 
mixture is made as follows : Mix 1 oz. sulphate of copper, 
^4 oz. of alum, and y 2 a teaspoonful of salt reduced to 
powder, with 1 gill of vinegar and 20 drops of nitric acid. 
This liquid may be used either for eating deeply into the 
metal or for imparting a beautiful frosted appearance to 
the surface, according to the time it is allowed to act. 
Cover the parts you wish to protect from its influence with 
beeswax, tallow, or some similar substance. 

Some desire something a little more elaborate, so as 
to give a design or lettering more even than scratching in 
the wax by hand. 



12 HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 

The method used by wax engravers could be used with 
success. When any lettering is to appear on a wax cut, 
they moderately heat ordinary printers' type and press these 
into the wax, the warm type being easily pressed to the 
plate or surface of metals to be etched. Designs of which 
cuts have been made could be used in the same manner. 

Mr. B. F. Brown describes the method he uses as 
follows : 

First, take sandpaper or whetstone and clean off all 
rust, gum or dirt, from the place where the lettering is 
to be done; then cover the metal with a thin coating of 
beeswax or tallow, then take a pencil or any sharp-pointed 
instrument and do the marking through the wax, being care- 
ful to have all the letters go through and removing all the 
wax from the bottom of the letters. Next, take a fluid 
made from equal parts of common salt and bluestone and 
water, and by dipping your pencil in the fluid fill all the 
letters in the wax. 

If you will do the work nicely you will appreciate it 
and by the time you have finished your work the acid has 
finished its work, and you can clean your tool and see what 
you have done. 

A HINT ON HOLDING THE RULE 

The rule, one of the most essential tools of a carpenter, 
can be used with very little difficulty. Most of the car- 
penters that I have observed always laid their rules flat on 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



13 



the board that they were measuring. It will be readily 
seen that if some one should come along and push him, as 
is very frequently the case in a carpenter shop, his rule 
would slide and he would have to do all his measuring over 
again. 

In the illustration of Fig. 1 I try to show how this 
may be avoided. 

Instead of putting the rule directly on your board, place 
the edge of the rule against the side of the board, holding 
it with four fingers and placing the thumb on the opposite 




Fig. 1 

side. In this way you have full control of your board 
and rule, and in case you are pushed by one of your fellow 
workmen, the arm, hand, rule and board all go in the 
same direction, and will not necessitate doing the work over 
again. 

PROTECTING THE STEEL SQUARE 

The most important thing in regard to a square is 
to keep the tongue and blade at right angles to each other, 
and therefore it is a good plan to put a "shoe" on the 



14 HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 

corner or "heel" of the square, as shown in Fig. 2. To 
make this, take a piece of heavy sole leather, soak it in 
water until quite soft, and bend it so as to fit the heel. 
One edge was sewed as shown at A, and through both 
thicknesses I punched a hole at B through which a piece of 
strong twine could be passed and tied so as to prevent the 




shoe from slipping off. The corners above B were cut as 
shown, so that the twine might not slip. I have found this 
little contrivance very useful. 

FILING SAWS 

The grand secret of putting any saw in the best pos- 
sible cutting order consists in filing the teeth at a given 
angle to cut rapidly and of a uniform length, so that 
the points will all touch a straight-edged rule without show- 
ing a variation of a hundredth part of an inch. Besides 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 15 

this, there should be just enough set in the teeth to cut a 
kerf as narrow as it can be made, and at the same time allow 
the blade to work freely without pinching. On the con- 
trary, the kerf must not be so wide as to permit the blade 
to rattle when in motion. The very points of the teeth 
do the cutting. If one tooth is a twentieth of an inch longer 
than two or three on each side of it, the long tooth will be 
required to do much more cutting than it should, and the 
sawing cannot be done well. Hence the saw goes jumping 
along, working hard and cutting slowly. If one tooth is 
longer than those on either side of it, the short ones do not 
cut, although the points may be sharp. When putting a 
cross-cut saw in order, it will pay well to dress the points 
with an old file, and afterwards sharpen them with a fine 
whetstone. Much mechanical skill is requisite to put a 
saw in prime order. One careless thrust with a file will 
shorten the point of a tooth so much that it will be utterly 
useless, so far as cutting is concerned. The teeth should be 
set with much care, and the filing should be done with great 
accuracy. If the teeth are uneven at the points, a large flat 
file should be secured to a block of wood in such a manner 
that the very points only may be jointed, so that the cut- 
ting edge of the same may be in a complete line or circle. 
Every tooth should cut a little as the saw is worked. The 
teeth of a handsaw for all sorts of work should be filed 
fleaming, or at an angle on the front edge, while the back 
edges may be filed fleaming or square across the blade. 



16 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



The best way to file a circular saw for cutting wood across 
the grain is to dress every fifth tooth square across and 
about one-twentieth of an inch shorter than the others, 
which should be filed fleaming at an angle of about forty 
degrees. 

The following don'ts are by E. C. Atkins & Co. : 

DON'T bend or twist a hand or rip saw. They are 
made to saw straight lines with, and not circles. 

DON'T forget that a handsaw has a spring temper, 
and, like a spring, if overstretched, will kink or snap. 

DON'T set your saw below the teeth. The set should 
be on the tooth and not on the blade. 

DON'T forget that the less set you give a thin-back 
saw the easier it will run. 

SAW HANDLES 

It is the practice of some carpenters to allow their saw 
handles to become loose. The other day I picked up a 
saw the handle of which was so loose it rattled. Now, this 
is all gross carelessness, for everyone should know better 
than to abuse his tools in this way. I cannot believe that 
a man will ever become a finished workman who keeps his 
tools in such shape, says Fred. Black. 

STRAIGHT CUTTING SAWS 

The most exasperating thing in using a saw is to try 
to cut a rake or a thick piece of wood and have the saw cut 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



17 



in a curve, instead of a straight line. A fast or smooth- 
cutting saw is a pleasure, but a straight-cutting saw is a 
necessity, says S. M. Lain. 

I have read several books on saws and their care, but 
feel that the most important points were gained by ex- 
perience. The following is part of the experience, and 
some may profit by it: 





Fig. 3 



Fig. 4 



In sharpening a saw which is dull, and not in shape 
to need new teeth filed in it, set the teeth first (if setting 
is necessary). Then joint by filing the points of the teeth 
square with the blade until each tooth is touched with the 
jointing file. Leave the teeth a little longer in the center, 
with a very slight gradual curve toward each end. It is 
sometimes necessary to saw in the center of a plane sur- 
face, and the ends would scratch if the cutting edge was 
straight. There are a number of other reasons also. Then 
file the teeth at an angle to suit the user of the saw. I 



18 HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 

have decided the factory filing — or the angle at which the 
teeth are filed when new — is the best for general purposes. 
When filed at too much of an angle, the saw has a greater 
tendency to saw crooked. File the teeth to an even size 
and angle till the points are sharp. If this process is done 
accurately, you have a true-cutting saw — but the perfect 
filing is the exception or the accident. 

A very simple and effective way to test a saw after 
filing is to take a board 12 in. wide and start the saw 
straight, letting it cut as it will, holding the handle loose in 
the hand, using the whole length of the blade. Take a steel 
square and try the cut; if straight, the saw is "good 
enough. " 

If it has run either way and the cut is not straight, it 
is because the teeth are longer on the side it has run (see 
Fig. 3), or it is set more on that side (see Fig. 4). 

The teeth should be straightened by refiling or — if not 
too bad — an oilstone rubbed flat with the blade on the side 
which is longest will cause it to cut straight. 

Machine rip and cross-cut saws will run in the same 
manner from the same causes. It is not as noticeable, but 
the saw dulls faster, heats, or the boards are drawn from 
the guide. 

Try the test, Brother Carpenter, and see how often 
you have a saw that is "good enough" with the first filing. 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 19 

HANDSAW SERVING IN THE PLACE OF 
SEVERAL OTHER TOOLS 

Many people have heard about "The Steel Square and 
Its Uses," etc., but very seldom do you hear about the 
handsaw and its uses. 

However, the handsaw is a tool that sometimes comes 
very handy to use in other ways than to saw in the ordinary 
fashion, as is explained by Mr. Emery H. Chase as follows : 

I will mention a few good uses — very good uses ; also a 
way to shape the point of a saw so a mechanic can keep one 
in his kit which will come very handy many times. 

To begin with, the handsaw can be used as a square, 
and save the use of that tool very often in rough work. 
When starting to saw a board or scantling you will notice 
a reflection in or on the side of the saw blade that will 
indicate or seem to show a continuation of the edge of the 
board in a straight line — that is, when the saw is cutting 
squarely across; but let the saw be turned the least bit 
out of square, and the reflected edge of the board will 
instantly show a bend or angle. This is a quick and easy 
way of cutting square — and you can puzzle many a mechanic 
with it. 

Now by the same means you can use the saw as a bevel 
or mitre square. For instance, to cut what is commonly 
called a "45/" or square mitre : It is quite easy for any one 
to guess a square ; many people can get it very close. When 



20 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



the saw is pointed in the right direction to cut a square 
mitre, the reflection will show a square. See Fig. 5. While 
these methods cannot be used much for fine work, they have 
the merit of quickness that comes in play hundreds of 
times to every mechanic. 

The workman who sees a "45" cut in this way will 
wonder how you get it so close without a line — he cannot 
see you looking at the reflection, although closely watch- 
ing you. 




Fig. 5 

One day I saw a fellow try to saw with the point of 
his saw in the flat side of a board, and I noticed he could 
saw quite deep, and only one or two teeth were cutting. 
So I said to myself, if the point of the saw were rounded 
and teeth were cut in it, it ought to saw deeper; so I tried 
it, and it worked fairly well, except that it would "catch" 
or suddenly stop when shoving it ahead. To avoid this 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 21 

I filed those teeth on the rounded point so they would cut 
when the saw is drawn, and this I found to be the best 
of all. I found I could easily cut through an inch board 
by having a stroke of only two and one-half inches. And 
so I keep the saw in my chest, and I find it comes useful 
very often. Only the other day I had occasion to cut a 
trap door through a floor, and, having to use the same 
pieces sawed out for a new door, I did not want to bore 
through to start the saw, as it would have spoiled the boards 
on one side of the saw kerf at least, and necessitated the 
trouble of procuring other lumber. 

So you see the handsaw in this instance will take the 
place of brace and bit and compass saw. The point of the 
saw should be jointed off so the beginning of the curve 
will be about two inches from the end of the saw, and it 
should be similar in shape to a sled runner, so that it will 
look as shown in Fig. 6. 

A HANDSAW HINT 

Mr. Emery H. Chase writes that to cut across the nar- 
rowest amount of wood is the most effective, or at least the 
most rapid way of cutting with a handsaw. This fact is 
not generally recognized ; or to be more precise, it is usually 
ignored. 

For instance, let a six-inch board be sawed flatwise; 
that is, so the board will be cut across the broad side; 
then afterward turn the board up on edge and cut it off 



22 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



by sawing the short way through it. It will be found that 
on an average the board can be cut in two much quicker 
when the teeth pass the short way through the board. 

Therefore the lesson to be thus learned is, that when 
sawing a large piece of wood, to so use the saw as to 
avoid the teeth all touching across a broad surface at once, 
and to contrive to make as short a cut as possible. In 
order to do this in the most practical manner, a piece of 
timber of very considerable size should be cut by beginning 
at one corner and sawing to a reasonable depth. As at A, 




THESE TEETH CU" 
DURING BACKSTROKE 

Fig. 6 

Fig. 7. Then change the slant of the saw so the timber 
will be cut to the line B ; then, as the cutting edge of the 
saw will begin to touch a wide surface, again shift the saw 
to another position, or slant, and cut inward to C, and so 
on D, E, F, etc., in their order, as shown. In this way the 
timber will positively be cut in two one-quarter to one-half 
quicker than as if it were kept at one angle all the way 
through. Anyone who doubts this can easily ascertain for 
himself by the simple method of trying it. 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



23 



The same is true in rip sawing. The most rapid and 
usually the best results are obtained by constantly changing 
the pitch or slant of the saw from low to high, and vice 
versa. 




Fig. 7 

This is a method always or nearly always practiced by 
well-experienced men, but which generally escapes the ob- 
servation of beginners until they acquire it unconsciously. 

The point seems to be thus developed that the fewer 
tooth-points that are cutting, the faster the saw will cut; 



24 HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 

because of the deeper penetration of each tooth under a 
given amount of pressure. This is also in keeping with 
the fact that the cutting speed of the different kinds of 
saws is about in proportion to the spacing of the teeth; 
from the handsaw to the cross-cut (woodsman's) saw and 
up to the circular or bandsaw. 

While in the accompanying diagram a large piece of 
timber is represented, it should be remembered the same 
rule prevails if only the cutting of a two-by-four is con- 
sidered. 

A HACKSAW HINT 

Although the hacksaw is principally an ironworker's 
tool, it is very useful to every carpenter, and in the follow- 
ing Mr. Emery H. Chase describes a little kink on how to 
easily make almost twice the usual speed in cutting off shaft- 
ing and other large irons. 

Almost everyone knows how brittle the hacksaw blade 
is — will break almost like an egg shell — and you will notice 
that the blade is very thin; but the teeth have been given 
a wide set which makes a saw kerf about as wide as that 
of an ordinary handsaw. This the manufacturers have to 
do because of the saws being used by all kinds of people 
with varying degrees of ability in running the saw in true 
line. 

And in a narrow k?rf if the saw be given a short twist 
it will quickly snap in two. But if the saw were sure to 
be used only by men who can run it in a straight and 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 25 

true manner the set could be much less and the saw would 
cut correspondingly faster. 

A wide set means the removal of more metal than 
otherwise needed, in order to give more play for the saw. 
It also means the more metal taken out in the saw kerf, 
the slower the saw will cut. This principle is the same in 
wood; the more saw dust you make the slower your saw 
will cut. 

When you have one or several hours' work in cutting 
a large piece of iron, just lightly and evenly touch the sides 
of your hacksaw blade to the side of a revolving emery 
wheel, removing as near as you can two-thirds of the "set." 
Your hacksaw blade will then just about make room for 
itself, but will cut fully as fast again. 

Of course you must have a good chance to run the 
saw true and must be careful to do so, for a slight kink 
will now cause a broken saw blade. 

It is easier to run a saw true in a large piece of iron 
than in a small piece, but this also is just where you want 
the saw to cut fast without extra labor. 

Save your thin blade for large irons and use an ordinary 
one for the smaller ones. 

BANDSAW HINTS 

Don't forget that small teeth, and lots of them, help 
to do smooth work just the same on the bandsaw and the 
circular as they do on the handsaw of the carpenter, says 



26 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



a writer in The Woodworker. Another writer in the same 
excellent paper has the following remarks to make on scroll 
work with the handsaw: 

Of all the uses to which the bandsaw can be put, none 
is more fascinating than scroll work. Whenever it can be 
employed for that purpose, one should not hesitate a mo- 
ment in giving it preference over the jig saw, as the work 
can be done quicker and be of a far superior quality. Our 
experience with a jig saw has always been, no matter how 
fine or narrow the blade, that the edges on the under side 
will be torn and jagged, which, to say the least, detracts 
materially from the appearance of a job. Nor is it hardly 
safe to cut close to the line, because, on account of the jerky 
motion of this saw, it is liable to run away in the wrong 
direction. In using the bandsaw, however, one has nothing 
of this kind to fear. The edges are invariably regular and 
smooth, and one may cut right up to the line without any 
danger of the saw running off on a tangent. He must be 
either an unskilled or slovenly mechanic who would allow 
any such slip to be made ; there is no need of it whatever. 
A man who understands how to handle a bandsaw knows 
well enough that the work done by this machine, if care- 
fully attended to, will need no touching up with either chisel 
or gouge. In fact, a little sandpapering will make the edges 
as smooth as the best of trimming can. 

To secure this result two things need to be kept con- 
stantly in mind. First, the blade used must be narrow, with 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 27 

moderately fine teeth. With such a blade all kinds of 
curves, even the sharpest, can be followed with ease. The 
whole responsibility rests upon the man manipulating the 
piece of wood. If he traces carefully his line, the work will 
be well-nigh faultless. Second, the saw should by all means 
be kept sharp. This should be laid down as a fixed rule not 
to be deviated from, and the observance of which is espe- 
cially necessary in doing fancy and intricate scroll work. 
A dull saw never cuts, but scrapes its way through the 
wood, leaving usually a rough, fuzzy edge. Only from 
a sharp saw can the best results be obtained; then the cut 
will be smooth. Now, I imagine some of your readers will 
say: "I agree with you that so far as sawing along the 
outside lines of a piece of scroll is concerned, there is noth- 
ing comparable to the bandsaw. But what about cutting 
out the inside spaces ?" With rare exceptions, even these 
can be cut with the bandsaw. Many a fancy piece have I 
cut out entirely by the use of this machine alone. Take the 
bracket show r n in Fig. 8 as an illustration. To cut this out 
get a piece of wood wide and long enough for the scroll 
part proper, plus the straight piece at the top. Then you 
can proceed to saw all this out, with the exception of space 
A. To get at this, make a cut with the saw at a b length- 
wise of the grain, then follow the inside line, and cut will 
be accomplished in a "jiffy." After withdrawing the saw, 
a thin sliver of wood, the same in thickness as the blade. 
can be firmly glued into the cut, making the piece as solid 



28 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



as ever. Last of all, glue on the straight strip c d to form 
the back of the bracket, and the job will be complete, in 
appearance quite neat and clean. 

In our line of work we never use the jig-saw except 
as a last resort. The work it does never proves satisfac- 
tory, for reasons we have already stated. In fact, only in 
cases where we cannot possibly contrive to cut out the inside 

d 




Fig. 8 
spaces with the bandsaw do we ever think of using it. These 
instances, however, are very rare, for by means of some 
device or other we always manage to get along without it. 
For nice, neat, attractive scroll work our old, reliable friend, 
the bandsaw, cannot be beaten. 

One can often bandsaw two or more thicknesses quicker 
and better than one, and can generally nail the pieces 
together, outside the pattern, in such manner that the nails 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



29 



will hold them till the last cut is made. Nailing inside the 
pattern is not only open to the objection that it mars the 
work, but pieces at all slender are liable to be split in taking 
them apart. 

SAW FILING VISE 

Mr. Dan. J. Dodrill gives the following sketch of a 
saw filing vise that can be very easily made: 



Tip 



t 



£ > 



mi 



2 id' 



JD 



ir— 



B 



Fig. 9 



As will be noted in Fig. 9, the saw is put in between 
two pieces of board 4 inches wide, 28 inches long and about 
% inch thick, as shown at D on sketch. B on sketch is a 
foot-rest, and A is the knee-rest. C C are made of 
2 X 4 X 38 inch pieces. £ is a wedge-shaped opening, 
so that the saw in between D can be pressed in, thus holding 
it firmly. 

Pieces A and B should be mortised in end pieces so as 
to make the thing solid. When in use lean the vise against 



30 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



something, put the saw in, place your foot on the rest B 
and your knee against A, and file away. 

SHARPENING PLANE IRONS 

To do good work with a plane the iron must be kept 
sharp, but frequently the iron is dull and stubbed. When 
in this condition it is impossible to keep the cutter sharp, 
for the least wear on the cutting edge would be sufficient to 
render the tool dull and incapable of doing good work. 




Fig. 10 Fig. 11 

I show in Fig. 10 the shape of a cutting iron as I found it. 
Now, by examining this figure, it will be seen that the cut- 
ting edge, A, when pushed forward, will work more like a 
scraper than a cutter, owing to its stubbedness, and that in 
fact the back of the basil — i. e., the bevel of the iron at B — 
pressed against the wood at the back of the cutter, thus 
preventing it from performing its proper duties. To make 
this cutter right and capable of doing its duty, I ground the 
tool until the basil assumed the shape as shown at Fig. 11. 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 31 

It will be seen that the cutting edge at A is more acute 
than at Fig. 10, and that the basil, B, in Fig. 11, is longer 
than at Fig. 10. It will also be noticed that on Fig. 11 
there is a second bevel, c. I explained the use of this 
second bevel to my friend as being quite necessary to insure 
good and effective work. I repeat the explanation here : 
If a cutter is ground down to its cutting edge, so that the 
line of the basil forms an angle of 25 degrees with the face 
of the tool, as shown at Fig. 12, then by examining the cut- 
ting edge, B, it will be seen that it presents a very weak sec- 



Fig. 12 Fig. 13 

tion, much too weak to be lasting or of very much service. 
Indeed, a plane iron or chisel intended for general use, 
ground to this form, would be apt to crumble or "nip" out 
on the cutting edge, or if the temper is so fine that no 
crumbling takes place, the chances are that, in the case of 
a plane iron, it will "chatter" or spring and shake during 
the operation of cutting ; this makes the work wavy and full 
of transverse ridges, thus rendering the work unsatisfac- 
tory. Notwithstanding these defects, it has been ascer- 
tained that an angle of 25 degrees is the proper one to em- 
ploy when grinding tools for wood-working. To guard 



32 



Hints for carpenters 



against the defects mentioned, a second basil is made at the 
cutting edgt at an angle of 35 degrees, as shown at A, 
Fig. 13. It will be seen that by this method all the defects 
of the thin cutting edge are avoided, and all its advantages 
maintained. In grinding, care should be taken to avoid 
finishing down to the edge, for if such is the case the edge 
would be ragged and broken up and would have to be 
whetted down on the oil stone a full thirty-second of an inch 
before the cutter would be ready for use. 




Fig. 14 

In grinding tools of this character, the stone should 
revolve from the operator ; that is, the top of the stone 
should move away from, not towards, the tool. This gives 
the operator better control of the work, and gives him an 
opportunity to see when to cease grinding, which should 
occur when the basil is brought to within about a thirty- 
second of an inch of the edge. The process of sharpening 
should be completed on the oil stone at an angle of 35 de- 
grees, as shown at Fig. 13. 

This second basil need be no more than a sixteenth of 
an inch from the cutting-edge to its termination on the line 
of basil ; a thirty-second of an inch is quite enough for the 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 55 

first few whettings after the tool is ground. Another thing 
I warned my friend against, and that was making a rocking 
motion of the hand while whetting the cutter, as this motion 
has a tendency to give the basil a convex or rounding shape, 
something like that shown at Fig. 10, which after a while 
destroys the cutting qualities of the edge. During the 
sharpening process on the oil stone the tool should be held 
firmly in the hand, with the thumb on one edge and two 




forefingers on the upper side of the iron, as shown at 
Fig. 14, with the end resting against the ball of the hand. 
The tool should now be placed*on the stone and the left 
hand brought over and pressed on it, as shown at Fig. 15. 
Sometimes the operator will find it more convenient to rest 
the three forefingers of the left hand on the iron while 
sharpening; on the whole, however, I prefer running the 
hand over, as shown in the illustration, as it enables one to 
take a very firm hold of the tool. With chisels, gouges, and 



34 HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 

other handled tools, it is better to lay on the fingers of the 
left hand than to grip it with the fingers, as it is not ab- 
solutely necessary that the cutting edges of these tools 
should be in a right line, or strictly at right angles with the 
edges of the iron. With plane irons this is different; the 
cutting edge must be a right or straight line, and at right 
angles with the edges of the iron on the smoothing-plane, 
fore-plane, and long- jointer, but it is not necessary to be 
so particular with the jack-plane; indeed, it is sometimes 
better to leave the edge of the cutter a little rounding, as it 
works better than for roughing off stuff and preparing it 
for the finer-working planes. 

Another very important matter is the taking off of the 
corners of the plane irons, so as to prevent the tool from 
leaving marks on the work, which will be the case if not 
provided against. It will be seen by examining the iron, 
0, Fig. 15, that the corners show clear and acute. Now, 
if the cutter, O, is tipped up a little on the oil stone, P, and 
the corners gently whetted off, the iron will cut sweetly and 
smoothly without having its efficiency reduced in the least. 

SOME PLANING HINTS 

I wonder how many of our young carpenters, who 
have used the old-fashioned wooden planes and have be- 
come disgusted with them, know that dressing them down 
with a good steel bottom plane will make them as good as 
new, says Mr. E. S. Frye. 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



35 



To do this remove the bits and handle and lay stock on 
a level bench, or in a vise, with bottom side up, and plane 
down smooth and true with a steel bottom plane. Leave it 
set in linseed oil for ten or twelve hours. 

The following ideas have been submitted by Mr. C. G. 
Curry : 

Fig. 16 shows the face or bottom of a wood-bottom 
plane, and, as all my brothers know, the throat becomes too 
large from wear and the plane does not, in consequence, 
work well and chokes up readily. 




Fig. 16 

I have fixed wood planes in the following way: Take 
a piece of thin steel, or one-half of a door hinge, and set 
it in the bottom flush with the face of the plane, as shown 
in Fig. 16, so as to partly close the throat, and you will 
be surprised how much better the plane will work. 

The above has been my own experience. I would like 
to see some letters from brother carpenters stating their 
opinion as to which they like the best — wood bottom or iron 
planes. This is quite an important question in the minds 
of some mechanics. Also which is the best — the light, 



36 HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 

thin plane iron or the heavy cutters, especially for jack 
planes or jointers? For my part I prefer the heavy plane 
iron thickest on the cutting edge, as they do not jump or 
chatter in the knots or hard places. 

I also think that most of the plane irons are tempered 
a wee bit too hard. 

Mr. L. M. Hodge remarks that every carpenter knows 
how difficult it is to make a perfectly smooth and even 
surface on a cross-grained, knurly or birdseye board when 
there is nothing at hand but a common smoothing plane to 
do it with, when used in the ordinary way. 

In smoothing certain kinds of curly redwood and !ike 
materials it is next to impossible to so sharpen and set a bit 
in the usual way that a smooth and even surface can be ob- 
tained, and again it is quite difficult to use a hand scraper 
on it and keep the surface even and true, as the instrument 
having no guide will catch on the grain of the wood and 
gouge out the soft parts to a greater or less degree, be the 
operator ever so careful. Now these difficulties can be 
readily overcome by smoothing the wood as well as possible 
in the ordinary way with a sharp plane set fine, then put a 
smooth keen edge on the smoothing plane bit and leaving 
off the cap insert it into the stock bottom side up. Of 
course the bit must be set very fine for difficult and very 
smooth surfaces and the corners rounded just enough to 
keep them from leaving sharp impressions in the wood. 

It will be seen by reversing the bit as above describe:! 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 37 

that the upper or front surface is caused to stand at an 
angle of about 80 degrees instead of 45 degrees, as when 
inserted in the usual manner, thus converting it into one 
of the finest surface scrapers that could well be imagined. 
While the above may seem very simple, still it may be 
a pointer that will assist some of the younger "chips" over a 
rough spot. 

OIL STONES 

The oil stone plays such an important part in keeping 
edge tools sharp that it will be best to say something on 
this subject here. 

The reader has no doubt noticed that the oil stone P, 
in Fig. 15, is surrounded with a wooden case, N. This 
case serves a twofold purpose: it protects the stone from 
breakage, and tends to give it weight and solidity while 
being worked upon. To make this case, a piece of dry 
pine should be obtained, about 1% inch thick and about 
1 inch wider than the stone, and from iy 2 to 1% inch 
longer than the stone. A recess is then made from a half 
to three-quarters of an inch deep, according to the thick- 
ness of the stone. A cover should also be made of wood, 
to fit loosely over the stone, and which might have its 
corners bevelled ofif to give it an appearance of lightness. 

The best Washita oil stones are white, although all of 
the white stones are not good whetstones. The value of a 
stone depends upon the hardness, weight and the sharpness 



38 HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 

of the grit, which are the result of the character of its crys- 
tallization. Every good Washita quarry has its own pecu- 
liar form or manner of crystallization, and the stones from 
certain quarries only produce the best sharp cutting and dur- 
able oil stones. 

Washita oil stone rock is crystallized silica. The crys- 
tals are very small, and are formed in clusters with point 
ends interlaced, leaving numerous cavities. These minute 
crystals are hexagonal in shape, with sharp points, and can 
be seen under a microscope when magnified about a hundred 
times. They are harder than steel, and that is why whet- 
stones cut from this rock will wear away and sharpen steel 
tools. Washita whetstones are called oil stones, because oil 
must be used to fill the cavities and float away the steel 
particles that are cut off the tools. 

The peculiar geological formation from which these 
rocks are taken is not known to exist outside of the state 
of Arkansas, where it occurs in many of the mountains of 
Saline, Hot Springs, Garland and Montgomery counties. 
These strata are in a vertical position, varying from nearly 
perpendicular to nearly horizontal, and have been consider- 
ably broken up by upheaval or folding of the earth crust. 

The best Washita oil stones for carpenters weigh about 
\y± to 1 5 / 16 ounces per cubic inch, and a stone of standard 
size, 1% X 2 X 8, should weigh about 1 pound 6% to iy 2 
ounces. 

By continual use the stone will show the wear more 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 39 

at the ends than at the middle. This is due to the tool 
being reversed. When the stone is uneven, a good job of 
sharpening cannot be done, so the thing to do is to level the 
stone. 

There are many ways to do this, and among them all 
the best and quickest is to take a sheet of No. 1 or l 1 /^ 
sand paper and place it on a board, fair and straight. Then 
rub the stone back and forth until level. Two or three 
sheets of sand paper are sufficient. 

A writer in The Pattern Maker says that a handy 
method of quickly reducing parts of a stone which stand 
too high, or improving the form of a worn slip, is to scrape 
it with the edge of a piece of glass, used in the same way 
as a steel scraper is used on wood. A piece of glass can 
always be obtained when perhaps the ordinary methods of 
rubbing down are not available or would take too much 
time. The stone can be scraped in this way either with or 
without water. Without water is perhaps the best, as it 
is then easier to see how much is being removed. If one 
end or one corner of the stone stands higher than the rest, 
it is easier to reduce to a general level in this way than by 
the ordinary methods which make the surface flat, but can- 
not easily remove a slope to one end or one side. A slight 
inclination in any direction causes the oil to run off the stone, 
and if is advisable, therefore, always to leave the stone 
slightly hollow so that the oil will tend to run to the 
middle when it is left standing. 



40 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



HOW TO USE A GRINDSTONE 

Common grindstone spindles, with a crank at one end, 
are open to the great objection that the stone will never 
keep round, because every person is inclined, more or less, 
to follow the motion of his foot with his hand, which causes 
the pressure on the same to be unequal. The harder 
pressure is always applied to the very same part of the 
stone and will very soon make it uneven, so that it is impos- 
sible to grind a tool true. To avoid this, put in place of 
the crank a small cog-wheel of thirteen cogs, to work into 
the former. The stone will make about 0.7 of a revolution 
more than the crank, and the harder pressure of the tool 
on the stone will change to another place at every turn, 
and the stone will keep perfectly round if it is a good one. 
This is a very simple contrivance, but it will be new to 
many of our readers. 

Another point is mentioned by Mr. Fred Black, and 
that is when you grind edge tools, be very careful to use 
plenty of water on the stone, for it does not take very long 
to draw the temper in the tools. If they become heated, they 
will be brittle, and the edge is liable to break off. 

SHARPENING SCRAPERS 

How should a scraper be sharpened is a question asked 
even by some old and experienced carpenters. The follow- 
ing directions by Mr. S. M. Lain answer this question: 

Most all cabinetmakers understand the process of 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



41 



It 



sharpening scrapers and find it an indispensible tool 
is just as useful to carpenters in a great many places. 

A cabinet scraper is a standard tool and can be pur- 
chased at most every hardware store. They are not sharp 
when sold, but need to be sharpened then and quite often 
afterward. Now for the process : 







Fig. 17 
Fasten a file flat on the bench by means of a few 
screws and file the scraper until the flat sides are straight 
and free from rust or uneven bumps, Fig. 17. In this pro- 
cess file both sides of the four edges. Then file the sides 
and ends square across, Fig. 18, until the edges are straight 
and have a slight wire edge. Jointing edges may be done 



a 



Fig. 18 
with a handsaw jointer. Round the corners slightly, as 
shown at a, to keep the scraper from digging into the wood. 
The burnisher can be purchased at some hardware 
dealers or may be made out of a round file. Grind the file 
smooth and polish it on an oil stone. Sometimes gouges 
are hard enough to be used for burnishing. 



42 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



After filing lay the scraper flat on the bench and rub 
the burnisher on the sides parallel to the scraper, Fig. 19, 
and press down hard. Take the scraper in one hand and 
hold on one edge on the bench ; press burnisher square across 
the vertical edge and rub upward hard, Fig. 20. 




Fig. 19 
Rub square across twice, then turn the burnisher 
slightly toward each side and rub upward hard twice, Fig. 
21. Repeat the foregoing process on all four edges. The 
scraper may be fastened in a wood vise and both hands used 
to burnish edgeways. 




r 



Fig. 20 Fig. 21 

If a very smooth edge is required rub the corners of 

each edge smooth on an oil stone before turning. 

An experienced person seldom gets eight good cutting 

edges, so a beginner should not be disappointed if all eight 

do not cut. 

Enlarged illustrations will make it clearer. All know 

the reason for sharp square corners. Rubbing the burnisher 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 43 

on the sides gives a larger edge to turn back, as shown in 
Fig. 22. If the burnisher is held at too much of an angle 
the edge cannot catch when the scraper is held at an angle 
to suit the hand, see Fig. 23. Too much rubbing with the 
burnisher will cause the edge to turn too far also. 




Fig. 22 

A heavy cutting edge may be obtained by grinding the 
scraper to a bevel and sharpening on an oil stone. Just 
turning one way is all that is needed. Fig. 24. . 

A Very good scraper for taking off glue, varnish and 
paint; also for scraping the rough off of floors, etc., is a 

right 



wrong 

Fig. 23 Fig. 24 

flat piece of steel (a buggy. spring or file will do) drawn 
thin and bent at an angle of about 45 degrees. Fig. 25. 
File smooth on the inside and then bevel to an edge on the 
outside. They will do very well at first without turning 
the edge. When dull from filing, only sharpen by first 
turning edge out, then turn it in to a cutting angle. Fig. 25. 
A scraper when dull may be sharpened by the process 
shown in Figs. 19 and 20. In Fig. 19 hold the burnisher 



44 HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 

at an angle to the edge and rub outward as shown by the 
arrow in Fig. 26. 







/ 

Fig. 25 Fig. 26 

The second and third turnings are sometimes better than 
the first after filing. One filing will last for about four 
turnings. 

USE OF DRAW-KNIFE 

Mr. R. D. Osterhout says that he finds in using a 
draw-knife that by working it with the beveled side next 
to the work it makes a smooth job. If the material is good 
the piece may be made almost as smooth as if a plane had 
been used to finish it. This may not be new, but all the 
carpenters I have talked to about have never tried it. 

DRILLING OVERHEAD HOLES 

Anyone who has ever had occasion to drill holes in a 
ceiling, or any other place where the job has to be done 
overhead, knows what tiresome work it is, says A. J. Saxe, 
in Popular Mechanics. A strong man will feel exhausted 
after holding his arms overhead for five minutes without 
doing any work, and when the work of feeding and turn- 
ing the drill is added, it is almost impossible to continue 
working for more than three or four minutes at a time. 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



45 



1 


n \°\ stiw ^ — , 




cfr Z^ \ \ A 


vJy 




\\ 


^^ 





Having had occasion to do some overhead drilling, I 
found that the men's labor could be greatly reduced by 
means of the device shown in Fig. 27, which consists of 
simply a board, which acts as a lever, with the fulcrum at 
the round of the ladder. The board to work well, should be 

in a horizontal position, and if 
the round is not in the right 
place, it may be changed by 
moving the lower end of the 
ladder, or if this will not pro- 
duce the desired effect, a few 
blocks of wood placed between 
Fig. 27 the brace and the board 

will bring the board to a horizontal position. The pressure 
should be applied to the board as far from the round as 
possible, thus increasing the leverage. 

When the ladder is inclined too much it is hard to reach 
the handle of the brace. In that case the brace can be placed 
on the other side of the ladder and the board can be raised 
by placing your shoulder below it. 

HINTS ABOUT PLUMB-RULES 

Beginners who have had but little experience in the 
practical use of spirit levels and spirit plumb-rules are apt 
to suppose that they can work more accurately with a 
spirit level or plumb than with a plumb-bob and line. A 
spirit rule is a little more convenient in most instances, 



46 HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 

and when used by a mechanic of extensive experience and 
quick discernment one is to be preferred to a plumb-bob 
and line. But a good bob and line rule will enable a work- 
man to plumb his work with more accuracy than he can do 
it with most spirit plumb-rules. A bob and line rule will 
indicate a deviation equal to one-sixteenth of an inch from 
a perpendicular line in the height of a door frame, while 
such a slight inclination would not be shown by the best 
spirit rule we have ever seen. Besides this, the glasses 
or vials of spirit levels are not always of the correct form to 
be affected by a trifling variation from a level or a perpen- 
dicular line. We have frequently met with spirit rules 
which would not indicate the inclination of a door frame 
when it leaned more than one-fourth of an inch from a 
perpendicular line. Yet beginners, who have not the money 
to spare for a spirit rule, fancy that they can work with 
far greater accuracy with such a rule than with a plumb 
and line rule. 

After long experience in using both kinds of rules 
and levels, our preference for ordinary use is decidedly in 
favor of a bob and line rule made as follows : Procure a 
piece of clear-stuff pine four feet long, four inches wide, 
and an inch thick, joint the edges parallel, and strike a gauge 
mark along the middle ; then cut a hole near the lower end 
for the plumb-bob to play in. This opening should be at 
least three inches wide, and of an oval form. 

Instead of paying fifty or seventy cents for a brass 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 47 

bob, make a neat one of lead in the following manner: 
Break a hole in the small end of a hen's egg-shell and make 
a pin-hole in the other. Then blow out the contents, wash 
the inside of the shell, dry it, bury the shell in sand or loam, 
pack the sand firmly around it, then pour in melted lead 
until the shell is full. Before the lead becomes solid, hold 
the ends of a small wire staple in the upper end of the 
plumb-bob. This will make a neat, true and cheap bob. 
Procure for a line a strong piece of clock-cord, oil it 
with linseed oil a few weeks prior to the time of using it, 
so that the strands will not unwind, and you will have a 
plumb-rule that will be as accurate as "the left-handed 
Benjamite who could sling stones to an hairsbreadth and not 
miss." For setting door frames and plumbing studs, a 
rule not less than six feet in length should be employed. 
Then the work will be plumb. 

SPIRIT LEVELS 

No doubt many readers will be interested to know the 
method of making the spirit level glasses. 

There are two qualities of spirit levels in market : The 
best kind has the tube carefully ground out on the inside, 
so as to make it true; the common kind is made from care- 
fully selected glass tubing, just as it comes from the glass 
works. 



48 HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 

The tube is sealed at one end by the ordinary method 
well known to glass blowers, and the other end, after be- 
ing softened in a flame, is drawn out to a fine tube, which 
is then broken off and left open. The air in the tube is 
then expanded by heat and the point of the fine tube plunged 
beneath the surface of some alcohol. When the tube cools, 
the air contracts and the alcohol is forced in by atmospheric 
pressure. By repeating this process the tube can be filled 
as full as is desirable. It is then held upright and the fine 
tube is closed by the flame of a blowpipe, and all that is 
not wanted is broken off. 

HINTS ON HOME-MADE TOOLS 

Mr. Emery H. Chase contributes the following useful 
hints abor.t home-made tools : 

There are quite a few of the most useful tools the 
carpenter uses that are home-made, for the reason that 
manufacturers are slow in producing everything the car- 
penter wants. And so you can't find them listed in cata- 
logues, but must proceed to the blacksmith or make them 
if you wish to have them. 

Still another useful thing in my chest is the very fine 
and thin saw. I, of course, could not buy one, so I took 
a corset steel % of an inch wide and about ten inches 
long and filed 14 teeth to the inch and did not set it. It 
works finely. I use it in pattern making; the main object 
of its use is to avoid much width in the saw kerf. It 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 49 

leaves a kerf only wide enough to admit thick writing paper, 
and cuts smoothly and rapidly, and two pieces sawn in two 
with this saw and then put together again do not lose 
much of their original dimensions from the thickness of 
the saw kerf. It has to be used in a hack-saw frame, how- 
ever. Just try it though ! 

Another useful saw, which fitted in proper shape for 
use, is not for sale so far as I can learn. That is a square- 
hole saw. Disston sells one, but the angle blade or portion 
that "turns the corner" is so blunt and increases in width 
so fast that it is almost impossible to use it in an inch board. 

After cutting away one-half of this blade and filing new 
teeth in it and causing the edge to leave the main blade 
very gradually, it will work all right. To use a saw set on it 
is quite a difficult matter, however. 

Another useful thing I tried and that is ridges or cor- 
rugations running around the hammer handle to keep the 
hand from slipping, especially when striking hard blows 
and nailing at a distance. The ridges are like those on 
the handle of a policeman's club. They should be turned 
right on the wood when the handle is made. Just carve one 
out, and you will see how nice it works. 

Fishermen have good fishline reels; but a good and 
rapid-winding carpenter's chalkline reel is something not yet 
dreamed of by the manufacturers. One kind in which the 
awl can be placed and the line unwound rapidly is on the 
market, but when the line is rewound it must be twisted 



50 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



and twisted while winding it by hand. I made one that 
works with a small crank, and consequently the line no 
longer twists and snarls. 

PINCH BARS 

Another useful tool is the little claw or nail-pulling 
pinch bar. In different localities different forms are used ; 
but after having tried several and having overcome preju- 
dice against the appearance of some of them, I have finally 



e 



jjjj»i>ij»jjj,ijj >»>; t [ |j, 1 1 in n 



Fig. 28 



decided in favor of the 24 or 26-inch square or octagon 
tool steel bar shown in Fig. 28. It is exceedingly useful 
in repair work and as a spike puller will save hammer 
handles. 



*/8- 




FiG. 29 

Mr. Elmer E. List also contributes a sketch of his 
favorite pinch bar, which is a little different from the one 
described by Mr. Chase. It is shown in Fig. 29 and is made 
of %-inch octagon tool steel, with a chisel on one end 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 51 

and claws on the other. It cost me 90 cents, and I would 
not do without it. The round claw end enables one to pull 
a heavy nail with ease and without the use of a block, 
while using the chisel end it makes a comfortable and power- 
ful hand hold. 

SCREWDRIVERS 

A screwdriver should be neither too hard nor too soft. 
A good test is to file the steel ; if it does not take hold it is 
too hard; if too soft, it can be filed easily. 

A long screwdriver is easier to work with than a 
short one. . 

A writer in The Blacksmith and Wheelwright says that 
the young mechanic is very apt to ruin one or two good 
screwdrivers in trying to start set screws or screws that 
have rusted in. For this and similar work a specially 
heavy screwdriver is made, the shank being square and 
strong. The operator can then put all the power he wishes 
on the wrench, without fear of twisting it or bending the 
blade. 

RENEWING SCREWDRIVER EDGE 

When the point of a screwdriver is worn away, so that 
it jumps the nick in the screw, it is time that is was sharp- 
ened as evidently a section of your screwdriver is like 
Fig. 30, in which the sides of the wedge, in which all screw- 
drivers terminate, are curves with the convex sides out- 



52 HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 

wards. When the screwdriver is in this condition, it will 
be apt to slip out of the nick of the screw. The best form 
is that shown in Fig. 31, where the sides of the wedge are 
curves with the concave side outwards. With this sort of 
a point the screwdriver may be easily kept in the nick with- 
out slipping. To grind a screwdriver into this form it is 
necessary to use a very small grindstone. 

Another way to sharpen a screwdriver is by filing, 
holding it in a vise with the bevel of the point lying hori- 
zontal and projecting above the surface of the vise jaws; 
then use a medium flat file on it, giving a forward thrust 
only, and keeping a horizontal position throughout, directs 



£ 



Fig. 30 Fig. 31 

the British Optical Journal. Turn the driver over and 
repeat the operation until the edge becomes very thin. Then 
file it down to a perfectly straight margin and regulate 
its width for the size required. This method is more 
satisfactory than truing up the point on a grindstone. 

A SCREWDRIVER IMPROVEMENT 

A writer in The English Mechanic remarking about 
screwdrivers slipping out of the nick describes a method to 
overcome this difficulty. All that is wanted is a short tube, 
big enough to enclose the screw-head somewhat tightly, but 
only spring-tight, so that it may rise as the screw-head 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 53 

comes near the wood. Also, to provide for heads of dif- 
ferent sizes with the same driver. All this can be done 
by just turning up a strongish tin tube, three or four inches 
long, like a slate-pencil case, big enough to slide over the 
widened point of a round screwdriver, and then fitting 
spring-tight on the shank by means of a piece of leather 
wrapped round it; and for larger screws than usual, you 
might pull the socket off and put a larger one on, with a 
thicker piece of leather. I find it answers perfectly. You need 
not even look at your screw, but just put the tubed screw- 
driver on and turn. It will drop into the nick at the first 
half-turn, and stay there till the screw is screwed home. 

HORIZONTAL SCREWDRIVER 

A writer in Popular Mechanics send a sketch, Fig. 32, 
of a horizontal screwdriver for use in a corner or other 



Fig. 32 

awkward place. The one shown was made of sheet steel 
Vg inch thick, % inch wide, and length 4 inches, the width 
of screw-blade being % inch. 

SELECTING A LIGNUM-VITAE MALLET 

In selecting a lignum-vitse mallet choose only the light- 
colored ones, recommends Mr. Emery H. Chase. 

Those of light color are taken from the sapwood or 



54 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



vital portion of the tree and have greater strength and 
elasticity than have those taken from the heartwood which 
is dark. 

This is parallel to the fact that for the best wagons 
and buggies and hammer handles, etc., only young or sec- 
ond-growth hickory is used, thus giving greater toughness 
and durability. 

The government tests prove the toughest part of a tree 
to be the sapwood portion just above the ground. 

CHISELS 

When buying chisels see that the handles are good 
and that the blades are set true in the handle, for if they 
are not, they will be likely to break under a sharp blow. 

TO KEEP STEEL TOOLS IN THEIR 
HANDLES 

A writer in Machinery says that to keep steel tools 
in their handles, fill the handle with powdered rosin and 
a little rotten stone. Heat the tang of the tool hot, and 
then push it down hard into the handle; when it is cold 
it will be firmly set. 

TO MAKE A GLASS CUTTER 

An old saw-file, with the end freshly broken, makes 
a very good glass cutter. 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



55 



TO MAKE MARKS ON RULES SHOW 

PLAINLY 

If you cannot plainly see the markings on the brass 
side of a caliper rule or slide rule, just rub a blue pencil 
over the whole slide and clean off, when it will be found 
that all the graduations are filled in with the blue pencil, and 
thjese dark markings can easily be seen 

COUNTERBORING 

Some time ago there was a kink published in Popular 
Mechanics, regarding counterboring, which I think worthy 
of being passed on to my fellow "Chips," who may not have 
had access to the paper above mentioned. 




Fig. 33 
Every carpenter has had occasion to counterbore holes, 
and in order to accomplish the job has, no doubt, found 
it necessary to first plug the hole in order to start the bit 
screw, which being deflected to a greater or less extent 
while boring, by the end grain of the plug, gave inaccurate 
and unsatisfactory results. A much quicker and more 
accurate method is to use, instead of the plug, a lead disk 



50 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



C, which fits the hole B, to be counterbored and is screwed 
onto the bit point, revolving with it and holding it concen- 
tric with hole B. All of this is illustrated in Fig. 33. 

These disks, being soft, are easily made, and a number 
of different sizes may be kept in the tool chest, and if the 
exact size needed is not on hand, a larger one may be quickly 
shaved down to suit. 



A HANDY VISE 

Mr. L. M. Hodge says that the vise illustrated in Figs. 
34 and 35 is one of the handiest contrivances in its sphere 
that could well be imagined. 



^^vF^^V^ 



^r 






-aw- 




Fig. 34 Fig. 35 

As will be noticed, this device consists of a small vise 
or clamp mounted on a % X 3%-inch stud, which is pro- 
vided with a thumb-nut that enables one to readily fasten 
it to a saw bench or other object in almost any position, 
and to swing it about to suit the work that he wishes to 
hold. 

This little tool is especially handy in finishing work, to 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



57 



hold short pieces of base while being mitred, moldings 
while being coped, and various other work, such as holding 
a board while straightening the edge with a plane when 
a work bench is not at hand, etc., and when used in con- 
nection with the cross timbers shown at 5, makes the most 
convenient and satisfactory device for holding doors while 
being fitted and hinged that I have ever seen employed 
for the purpose. 

One cannot appreciate the convenience of this little tool 
or the great variety of work that it can be used for until he 
has owned one. 




Fig. 36 

If you cannot buy one already made, it is only a few 
minutes' work to make a pattern and have your foundry 
man to make one, which should not cost more than 75 cents 
complete. 



A SIMPLE BENCH STOP 

Mr. E. E. Bragg submits a description of a simple 
bench stop, which, he says, may be old to some carpenters ; 
it is new to me, as I never saw or heard of anything 



58 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



like it until I made one the other day and found it to be a 
success. 

At the edge of the bench fasten a piece of wood 1 inch 
square, 6 inches long, by means of two screws. 

Take a piece of 1 by 2, 12 inches long, and cut it 
like the form shown at B; fasten this down by means of 
one screw at A, but not down tight, so that it can slip 
backwards and forwards so as to clamp your boards, as 
shown in Fig. 36; C is a guide piece. 

BENCH HOOK 

As my contribution, says Mr. Jacob C. Miller, I sub- 
mit to your readers a sketch in Figs. 37 and 38 of a very 
convenient tool for the top of a work bench. It is a 
bench hook or a tail stop for a bench. 




Fig. 37 

The diagram No. 3 shows the bench hook ; it is made 
of 3 /i6 incn stee l and about % inch wide - From A to C 
it is 6 inches long, and from A to B it is 4 inches from 
centre to centre, with the points A and B at right angles 
to the upper face ; the points are about % inch in length. 

Sketch No. 1 shows the hook holding the board flatwise 



HINTS FOR CARpENTERS 



59 



cn the bench with the point C in the end of the board and 
the two points A and B slightly driven in the bench, thus 
holding the board in such a manner that a man may plane 
the board lengthwise or crosswise. It is also very conve- 
nient for holding a board on the bench while sawing for 
gains to be routed out. 




Fig. 38 

Diagram No. 2 shows the hook holding a board on edge 
on the bench while planing the edge or while nailing a strip 
on the edge of the board. The two points A and B are 
driven in the end of the board, while the point C is driven 
in the bench, therefore securing the board from falling over. 

Anyone wishing a handy tool of this sort can have a 
blacksmith make one; its cost will be a very small item. 

A SIMPLE BUFFER 

I have recently been interested in buffing shellac from 
hardwood floors and have tried nearly every kind of buffer 
available, but have found none with which I could do the 
work so easily and effectually as the one described below, 
says Mr. George W. Webster. It is one of my own im- 



60 HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 

provements, and I describe it for the benefit of any fellow 
carpenter who may appreciate the same. It is cut from 
a 2 X 6-in. piece of plank and shaped like Fig. 39. 

To hold buffer in place a pin is inserted in the hole a. 

I use a buffer about 2y 2 inches square and cut a saw 
kerf into the heel of the block, so the buffer will extend 
below the block about % inch, so it will have plenty of 
room to clear off shellac and shavings. 

I sharpen buffer with a file and give a short bevel; 
then sharpen on oil stone, taking a small gouge to turn 
the edge of buffer up, so it will cut readily. 




)« 14' - 

Fig. 39 

Inserted as shown on diagram, I find an angle of ninety 
degrees about right to turn up edge of buffer. 

With this instrument I can remove three coats of 
shellac from 300 square feet of floor in ten hours, down to 
the natural wood, which includes a thin shaving of the 
wood. 

HOW TO MAKE A GLUE SCRAPER 

Nearly every woodworker has a glue scraper, which 
is generally made from a strip of iron or a flat file, but 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



61 



a better one can be made as shown in Fig. 40. The handle 
is made from a piece of hard wood 1% X 1% X 12 inches. 
The blade is made of an old plane bit and is fastened to 




Fig. 40 
the handle by means of a screw and washer, says R. B. 
Gregg, in Popular Mechanics. 

USE FOR OLD HACK-SAW BLADES 

A writer in Machinery says a useful scraper for wood 
is made as shown in Fig. 41. The handle is shaped, as 
shown, from steel or brass. The dowels hold the parts 





Jdacitntri M.T. 



Fig. 41 
of the handle in line and prevent the blades from slipping; 
they also locate the blades. The blade, being very thin, can 
be easily sharpened and kept sharp. It makes a most useful 
patternmakers' or joiners' scraper, and the blades cost 



6% HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 

nothing to replace, broken or worn-out hack-saw blades 
being used for the purpose. A rough and ready handle can 
be made by sawing a narrow slit in the end of a piece of 
hard wood and driving in the blade tightly. 

A SIMPLE SANDPAPER HOLDER 

Mr. J. F. Spellman offers a very good suggestion for 
making a convenient sandpaper holder — an article which 
every woodworker has occasion to use practically every day 
in the year. 



\^nr>' J JS^^m^^^^£i^im^mi^^m^\J.&^^:: 



rELTjar SAND PAPERS* 

Fig. 42 

I take a piece of %-inch pine about 4% X 6 inches, 
and on each end of this I glue a %-inch strip, then cut a 
piece 4y 2 inches wide and long enough, so that it will fit 
snugly between the two i/^-inch strips. 

On the large piece of wood glue a piece of thick felt on 
the side opposite that to which the end strips are glued. 

Place a piece of sandpaper around the part with the 
felt and fasten it in place by pressing the 4y 2 X 5-inch 
piece between the strips, and it is ready for use, as shown 
in Fig. 42. To make it easy to hold, round the edges of 
the top piece. 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



63 



FOLDING SANDPAPER 

The following method of folding a sheet of sand- 
paper, so that no two sanded surfaces will come together, 
will often prove a great convenience, and a whole sheet 
folded in this manner forms a pad for the sandpaper block. 
It is submitted by Mr. W. B. May. 




Fig. 43 

The sheet is first cut half-way through in the middle, 
as at A in Fig. 43. The quarter-marked 2 is folded on 1 
(the illustration showing the plain side of the sandpaper) ; 
then this is turned on 3 and finally on 4, forming a pad of 
four thicknesses, no two sanded surfaces coming in contact. 

EASILY MADE TRAMMEL POINTS 

A trammel point in which no fine adjustment is re- 
quired, can be made from pipe fittings and a steel rod, 



64 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



as shown in Fig. 44. The device can be made with either 
one traveling point, A, and one stationary point B, or 
with two traveling points, as may be desired. It was de- 
scribed by Mr. George A. Madison in Popular Mechanics, 
In making the traveling point a two-light gas fixture 
body is drilled to receive the %-inch rod, and tapped for 



^ 



' Ma//eab/e ree 




Two-fight g&5 fixture body 



21 



J-" J fee/ Rod 



" 5 fee/ Rod 




Trammel Points 

Fig. 44 



the steel point, as shown. The 14-inch nipple acts like a set- 
screw, and the ^-inch malleable tee serves as a handle. 
The %-inch steel rod can be made any length desired and 
can be bent either hot or cold. 



TOOL BOXES 

One of the interesting features of the Practical Car- 
penter was the variety of tool boxes described by various 
readers. In the following pages a few of these are given, 
lack of space prevents all of them being republished here, 
although all were interesting. 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



65 



Ajl 



• rPnrtoj- £>«»* V/iiH^vtR °T->«- 



m 



_3> 



<& 



- ^ketch^; TooL ftox 

Fig. 45 



66 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



.akl 






d 



tfRRWtHH 



ra 



rinBWfcrt 



RjRRWfeR 



5f ^5 4r*c^ 









D 



OtCTV°H phu^fe Z*]*^ 




J 



04 



#sj 



I 



-ri*i~ 



1 






-nv 



4- 



m F 






Fig. 46 



frlNTS FOR CARPENTERS 67 

Figs. 45 and 46 illustrate the tool chest of Mr. John 
V. Bogert, who says that it is made of %-inch material, 
except the drawers, which are made of %-inch stuff. Cy- 
press is used throughout, as this lumber can be bought in 
any width up to three feet, is clear and easily worked, and 
will stand the weather. The box is divided as follows: 
Three drawers to be used for small tools ; a large space for 
large tools ; and a small space for saws in the lower left- 
hand corner. 

The drawers, unless made right, will "stick" when 
drawing them backward or forward. In order to overcome 
this difficulty they should be made about 1 / 1Q of an inch 
smaller than the space they occupy. All drawers should 
have covers hinged at the back to keep out dirt. 

I would like to call attention to the divisions in the 
third drawer. The space A is used for the level, the space 
B is used for miscellaneous articles, and the smaller divisions 
are used for screws, small nails and a great many other 
small things. 

All cross partitions should be mortised into the sides, 
and they should be screwed together, as nails will work 
loose. All other joints should be miter joints and well 
nailed. 

After all this has been completed, the top should be 
covered with either zinc or galvanized iron, which makes 
the box waterproof. The handles should be placed about 
one-third of the distance down from the top. 



68 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



Fig. 47 shows the design of Mr. George W. Webster, 
and he has the following to say about it: I find it very 
much handier than any I ever used. It is on the plan of a 
bureau ; there is no cover to lift, but drawers to pull out. 

I keep saws and planes in the bottom drawer ; hammers, 
bits and brace, shop axe, files, floor-set, etc., in the 7-inch 
drawer; boxes containing brads, screws and special kinds 
of nails in the 5-inch drawer ; chisels and small tools in the 
3-inch drawers. 



% 




^ 



to* 



£& 



3-3B- 



^3v 



an 



£2> 



£^ 



T 






— ®-3ftr— 

Fig. 47 

The chest weighs 300 pounds when the tools are all 
in it; but the way the castors are put on, one man can 
easily move it anywhere the castors will roll. The two 
castors in the middle being % inch lower than the two 
end ones, make it easy to guide the chest anywhere, and 
also to swivel or turn it around. 

The convenience over any other chest is a place for 
everything, and everything in its place. When transported 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 09 

on cars, they never stand it on end or tumble it about. My 
experience with the kind you have published is that at the 
end of a journey the tools are found all mixed up and the 
chest more or less damaged. 

The strap of iron shown in the middle of the front 
is to keep the drawers in place when chest is being moved. 
It is 1% inches wide and drops over a staple in which a 
padlock is placed. It is in two parts, meeting or lapping 
over each other at the staple ; at top and bottom it is attached 
to strap hinges. 

My chest is made of pine, stained cherry. Drawers 
dove-tailed and work easily on ways. 

Quite a novel design for a tool chest is submitted by 
Mr. Lauritz Smith. Fig. 48 is self-explanatory. Plans of 
shelves, trays, etc., may be changed to suit. He thinks that 
this is the best plan for a tool chest that he has ever seen. 
Every tool has a certain place, and one can find any tool de- 
sired without trouble — in the dark, if necessary. If 
trays, etc., are proportioned right, there will not be an 
inch of waste space in the chest. Almost any tool chest 
may be converted to this plan with little work. Partitions 
are all made from %-iftch pine. 

By way of variety we show in Fig. 49 a tool chest 
made for sale by a dealer in tools. It will no doubt give 
suggestions on how a box can be conveniently arranged. 

In connection with the different designs of tool chests, 
Mr. Emery H. Chase gives the following hint: Let the 



TO 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 




HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



71 



carpenters try wheels on their chests, like those on safes. 
I have four 6-inch»iron wheels under my chest, and they are 
"just the thing" needed. 

You can wheel your chest over a sidewalk for any 
short distance quite easily and better than to wait for a 
drayman. 

And the wheels are useful every time the chest is 
moved. Try it! 




Fig. 49 

So much for tool chests ; but the carpenter sometimes 
wishes a light box that can be easily carried about. Some- 
thing along the line of a dress-suit case is shown in Fig. 50, 
which was submitted by Mr. Mansfield Bolls. 

The tools are held in place by common galvanized iron, 
cut in strips 1 inch wide, and long enough to screw to inside 
of box and crook up to form a kind of spring hook. The 



72 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 




Fig. 50 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



73 



box is, when closed, 6 inches wide, 16 inches deep and 
24 inches long (inside measure). The square is the last 
tool to be put in, so it is always on top and ready for use. 
The three planes fit in a box made separately for each. The 
level is held by two strips of iron, one of which is fastened 
by only one screw, so it can be turned down to let the level 
go in and out. By being held in these fastenings, which 
form a spring, the tools are held firmly in place, so they 
will not "rattle" in carrying. The box is made in two parts 
of equal size, and hinged together, forming a kind of 
"grip" or case. At each end, in addition to the handle 




Fig. 51 

which is on top, rings may be attached to fasten a strap to 
go over the shoulder. 

Fig. 51 shows the design of Mr. F. C. Zook. The 
beauty of which is that when open it lies flat down, so 
there is no need to disturb any of the tools but the one 
wanted. 

My chest is made of %-inch cedar ; it is strong enough 
for all ordinary purposes. The interior can be finished 
with drawers and partitions to suit the ideas of the user. 

The ends are 8X13 inches, cut as shown ; the two 



74 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



divisions are held together at the bottom by three brass 
hinges, the top by two clasps and lock. A handle on top 
makes it convenient to carry. 

If it is made 32 inches long inside, it will hold any 
28-inch rip-saw. If a 28-inch saw is used, it can be placed 
in the lid or leaf. Three saws can be placed in the lid 
by having the blade end of one saw placed between the 
handles of the other two. 

When finished in cherry stain and varnished, this box 
looks neat. 



' *J t^ ^ ^ 



a 



i 



JJ-ratu-er 



spo.cg -PoV^-gn 




Fig. 52 

Another shoulder box that folds down is shown in 
Fig. 52, which is submitted by Mr. Luther Moseley. 

It is made of i^-inch stuff, except the ends, which 
are % inch thick. The box is 12 inches high and 8 inches 
wide. The ends are cut in three pieces each. On the 
middle of the top is a piece of wood fixed to the ends to 
which a handle is fastened. The sketch plainly shows how 
the box is arranged. One side comes down a little lower 
than the other. The idea is to not expose the teeth of the 
saws ; hence the side in which the saws are placed is not 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



cut as low as the other. This space for the saws is 
2 inches wide, so I can place two saws with handles 
together and one with the handle at the other end and with 
the blade between the other two handles. 

In the main part of the box place planes and such tools 
as are needed. In the drawer or till place chisels, bits, line, 
chalk, level, etc. 

The handle bar is 2 inches wide and rabbeted on both 
sides, so as to receive the sides when closed; this makes 
the strain on all the top the same. 





Fig. 53 Fig. 54 

A leather handle on the bar costs 25 cents; clasps to 
fasten the sides, eight brass corner pieces, hinges and screws 
cost about one dollar. When I stained it with red stain, I 
had a shoulder box I am not ashamed to take in any crowd 
of workmen. 

The till is placed in the box on cleats, fastened at each 
end with small screws, and when the tools are properly 
placed in my box I can stand it on end without having the 
tools fall about. 



76 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



A handy little box which can be easily carried is shown 
in Figs. 53 and 54. It was made by Mr. F. A. Williams 
and is only 19% inches long. One drawer in each end 
for two sizes of bits. The lid cheek, with Vs-inch rod 
connected, locks the two drawers ; then turn the key and 
the box is all locked. The bottom is *4-inch ash, and the 
balance is 5 / 16 -inch cypress, glued and well nailed. Stain 
or finish in natural wood, with five sets of brass hinges. 
Handle of leather, iy 2 inches wide, bolted to lid. This will 
hold all of the tools, except the saws and steel square. 

7v 




Fig. 55 

Something out of the ordinary is a good, light hand 
tray for carrying a kit to do odd jobs. Fig. 55 shows a 
design submitted by Mr. L. Smith. The principal dimen- 
sions are given on the figure, and a good length is about 
an inch longer than the longest saw you intend to carry. 
The height of end pieces may be about 13 inches if made 
with drawer in bottom, which will be found a great conve- 
nience to carry small tools. A shoulder strap will be found 
a great help, if one has to carry the kit any distance. 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 77 

Of course the dimensions will be governed by the 
amount of tools carried, and their size, but Fig. 55 shows 
the dimensions of a handy size. 

SOMETHING ABOUT NAILS 

The following hints are submitted by Prof. John Phin : 
Every one is familiar with the fact that a piece of 
rusty iron, wrapped in cotton or linen cloth, soon destroys 
the texture of the fabric. A rusting nail, for example, if 
laid upon a few rags, will soon produce large holes in 
them ; or it will, at least, render every point that it touches 
so rotten that the cloth will readily fall to pieces at these 
points, and holes will be produced by the slightest hard 
usage. From this well-known fact we may draw the con- 
clusion that iron, during the process of rusting, tends to 
destroy any vegetable fiber with which it may be in con- 
tact. This explains, to a certain extent, the rapid destruc- 
tion of the wood that surrounds the nails used in outdoor 
work, whereby the nail is soon left in a hole much larger 
than itself, and all power of adhesion is lost. Part of this 
effect is, no doubt, due to the action of water and air, which 
creep along the surface of the nail by capillary attraction, 
and tend to produce rottenness in the wood, as well as 
oxidation in the iron. But when we compare an old nail- 
hole with a similar hole that has been exposed during an 
equal time, but filled with a wooden pin instead of an iron 
nail, we find that the wood surrounding the wooden pin 



78 HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 

has suffered least; and we may, therefore, fairly attribute 
a destructive action to the rusting of the iron. It might, 
at first sight, be supposed that, as the oxide of iron is 
more bulky than the pure iron, the hole would be filled 
more tightly and the nail held more firmly to its place. 
But, although this effect is produced in the first instance, 
yet the destruction of the woody fiber and the pulveriza- 
tion of the oxide soon overbalance it, and the nail becomes 
loose. Of course, the iron itself being also destroyed, 
its strength is diminished ; and we have, therefore, a double 
incentive for preventing or diminishing the action that we 
have described. The only way to prevent this action is 
ti cover the nail with some substance that will prevent 
oxidation. This might be done by tinning, as is common 
with carpet-tacks, which are now extensively tinned for 
the purpose of preventing them from rusting, and thus 
rotting holes in the carpets. Coating them with oil or tal- 
low would be efficient, if the act of driving did not remove 
the protecting matter entirely from a large portion of the 
surface. But, even then, it will be found that the oil or 
fat is stripped off the point and gathered about the head 
in such a way as to prevent the entrance of air and moisture 
into the hole. 

The most efficient way to coat nails with grease is to 
heat them to a point sufficient to cause the grease to smoke, 
and then pour the grease over them, stirring them about 
in a pot or other vessel. When the nails are hot, the melted 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 7& 

grease will attach itself to them more firmly than it would 
have done if they were cold; indeed, so firmly that it will 
require actual abrasion of the metal to separate it. In 
erecting fences, laying plank or board sidewalks and the 
like, it becomes an important matter to secure the nails 
against the influence that we have mentioned, and yet 
the work must be done rapidly and cheaply. Nails may 
be readily prepared as described, or they may simply be 
dipped in oil or paint at the moment when they are driven 
in. And we have found, * by experience, that in cases 
where it is not advisable to paint the whole fence, it is, 
nevertheless, a good plan to go over the work and touch 
the head of every nail with a brush dipped in oil or paint 
prepared so as to be of the same color as old wood. 

Nails may be more easily driven into hardwood by first 
touching the small end in grease. 

To draw a iusty nail that sticks tight, first hit it a 
blow with a hammer sufficiently hard to start it in a 
little, which breaks the rusted connection; the nail then 
can be easily drawn out. 

SOMETHING ABOUT SCREWS 

There are poor as well as good screws. A good screw 
should have sound and well-cut heads, no breaks or flaws 
in the thread part, and good gimlet points. If they are 
warmed and dipped in raw linseed oil or tallow, it will 
prevent their rusting, hence they can be unscrewed easily. 



80 HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 

When the work in which they are used is exposed to 
much wetting and drying, screws are of little use. They 
soon rust, rot the wood around them, and draw out, looking 
like screws without threads. Dipping them in thick paint 
or tallow before driving them helps to protect them. When 
used in inside work and in soft wood, they may be dipped 
in glue. This makes them hold well, and when thus treated 
they are more easily driven. But the best plan is to heat 
them with oil or tallow m a pan. The grease then adheres 
more strongly, and the protection is more complete. 

It is a common thing, when a screw or staple becomes 
loose, to draw it out, plug up the hole or holes with wood, 
and then reinsert it. But screws and staples so secured 
soon come out again. It has been found that a much better 
way is to fill up the holes tightly with cork. Screws and 
iron so secured will remain perfectly tight just as long as 
when put into new wood. 

HOW TO LOOSEN SCREWS 

Few things are more vexatious than obstinate screws, 
which refuse to move, much less to be drawn out, and in 
the struggle against the screwdriver power suffer the loss 
of their heads, like conscientious martyrs, rather than take 
a single half-turn backwards from the course they have 
followed, and from the position they have been forced 
into. Like obstinate children, they must be coaxed or 
rapped pretty hard on the head, according to circumstances; 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 61 

in fact, whoever has a tight, obstinate screw to "draw out" 
must keep his temper down and his resolution up, quite 
as much to the sticking point as the screw does. If the 
screw is turned into iron and not very rusty, it is only 
necessary to clear the head with the wedge of the driver, 
and let a few drops of oil penetrate to the threads; but, 
rinding that excessive heat or rust has almost fixed the 
screw immutably, then heat, either by placing a piece of hot 
iron upon it or directing the flame of the blow-pipe upon 
the head, and, after applying a little oil, turn out gently; 
but care must be taken not to let the tool slip so as to dam- 
age the notch. If, however, the screw refuses to come out, 
try to force it back with a blunt chisel, smartly but care- 
fully tapped with a light hammer ; but if evidently nothing 
can dislodge the enemy, it is best to cut the head away and 
drill out the screw. When an obstinate screw happens to 
be in wood, merely give it a few taps on the head ; but, fail- 
ing that, heat it with a piece of hot iron, heat is applied to 
its head, which may be readily done with a red-hot kitchen 
poker, when it may be easily turned. 

A SCREW AND NAIL BOX 

One of the most inconvenient things for a carpenter is 
the hunting for the different sizes of screws and nails. In- 
stead of looking through various bags or other receptacles 
for the size or sizes required, why not make a box for 
the screws, also one for the nails, and offset this trouble. 



82 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



To make a strong box for screws or nails is a very 
simple and quick matter once you get at it. A box 
15X^X9 (inside measurement) will be found adequate 
for most wants. The ends can be joined together accord- 



ing yy ys yA 



m 



/ 



^V— t 




Fig. 56 



ing to taste, but dovetail joints for this purpose will answer 
to best advantage, because a joint of this class cannot be 
easily pulled apart. Fig. 56 shows a method of laying out 
a joint of this kind. Three dovetails are all that are required 



i_I 



i i i r 



Fig. 57 

for the height of the box. (A represents the end, B the 
side.) 

After the sides of the box are dovetailed together, the 
bottom is then ready to be put on. This part of the box 
should be screwed on, as nails become loose too quickly. 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 83 

The box is now ready for the divisions to be put in. 
Thin stuff is all that is required, and this should be notched 
together as shown in Fig. 57. (A represents the width for 
the division, B the length.) 




Fig. 58 

The box when completed, if the above instructions are 
complied with, will contain fifteen divisions, about 3X3 
inches, which allows for as many different kinds of nails 
or screws. 

Fig. 58 shows the box when completed. 

REPAIRING A GLUE POT 

A few winters ago my glue pot was cracked with 
frost by having water left in it over night. I repaired it 
by taking some iron filings. By using a horseshoe magnet 
only the clean filings without dirt were obtained. After 
scraping the rust off along the crack I spread the filings 
on, then moistened it with a few spoonfuls of sal ammoniac 
solution from an electric battery. After drying a few 
days the filings were rusted together and the pot fit for 



84 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



use. It is still in use, but in winter no water is left in it 
over night. 

HOW TO MAKE AN ELECTRIC GLUE 

HEATER 

In the shop where electricity is used the electric glue 
heater is the simplest device of its kind. The illustration. 

Ceiling or wall rosette 




Water line 



rncflnftescetu lamp 
Fig. 59 

Fig. 59, shows how it is arranged. An incandescent lamp 
with a waterproof socket is suspended in the water in the 
kettle, and the joints between the glue pot and the kettle 
are made perfectly tight. A 32-candlepower lamp will 
boil the water in from two to four minutes, says a cor- 
respondent of Woodcraft, while six or eight candlepower 
will keep the kettle warm. 



HTOTS FOR CARPENTERS 85 

REPAIRING OLD GLUE-JOINTS 

Sometimes two pieces of wood which have been joined 
together by glue separate at the joint. Before gluing 
them together again, the old glue should be carefully washed 
off with warm water and the surfaces allowed to dry. 
Then proceed as if making a new joint. 

TO PREVENT GLUE CRACKING 

Glue frequently cracks because the dryness of the air 
in the rooms warmed bv stoves. The addition of a little 
chloride of calcium to glue will prevent this disagreeable 
property of cracking. Chloride of calcium is such an 
absorbing salt that it attracts enough moisture to prevent 
the glue from cracking. 

REPAIRING A BROKEN POLE 

The following may be of interest to a number of read- 
ers. I was called upon to repair a broken flag-pole, and 
it was necessary to repair it as soon as possible, as a flag- 
raising was to take place. As there was no time to get 
iron straps, I hit upon the following scheme : 

Fig. 60 shows the break. Two saw-cuts were then 
made on each side of the pole, and the strips shown by 
the dotted lines were removed. One of the saw-cuts was 
made about a foot from the break, and the other at a dis- 
tance of two feet. 



86 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



These strips were then turned around and nailed on 
to the middle portion of the pole, as shown in Fig. 61, which 
explains clearly how the repair was made. The pole was 
then ready to be used. Very likely this would be strong 



._J L_. 



B 



>NN 


^ 


yv/> 



Fig 60 Fig. 61 

enough, but in a few days I had iron rings made and placed 
around the joint as a matter of precaution. 



SPLICING TIMBERS 

Somewhat similar to the previous problem is the 
method of splicing heavy timbers, which is submitted by 
Mr. D. J. Dodrill. 

Suppose it is required to have a 24-foot piece of tim- 
ber and the only available pieces are 12 feet long. The 
method of doing this is shown in Fig. 62. 

Let A be 12 feet long and A\ be 12 feet long; thesQ 
are to be 24 feet long after being spliced. 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 87 

Cut a piece out of A as shown in sketch, any length 
and width desired, and from A\ the same width, only twice 
as long as a; put a\ twice as long as a on A and the piece 
a out of A on A\. Get two pieces of strap iron and finish 
as sketched. 

B represents bolts, C where the two 12-foot pieces 
come together. 

The sketch is plain enough without further explana- 
tion. It does away with a clumsy splice as is generally 
in use. 

n i n p i in i n r 

r 



mmmmmm 

<m i; us 

Tcr 



A 1 



m a 15 



£ 



Fig. 62 

This idea was given to me by an old ship carpenter 
as the way a broken mast on a ship was repaired. Trust- 
ing that it might be of value to your readers I send same. 

DOVETAILING TRICK 

Something of no practical importance, but very inter- 
esting is the dovetail joint between two square blocks of 
wood (Fig. 63). The dovetail shows on the four sides 
and will puzzle most mechanics to know how it is made. 

It however is quite simple, as will be noticed from 
Fig. 64, which shows how the dovetails are cut. 

A good way is to have one piece stained and the 
pther natural, so that the dovetails will show very plainly. 



88 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



As a test of patience and skill in joinery this a very fine 
example. 

SCAFFOLD BRACKETS 

Particular pains should be taken with scaffolding. 
Don't use planks with many knots in them for scaffold 
boards. Use good solid pieces and see that the brackets 
that they are placed on are well made. Don't be stingy with 





Fig. 63 Fig. 64 

nails — it's risky work. Next have sufficient width of 
boards, so a man can stand on them without doing any 
tight rope balancing. 

Fig. 65 shows a bracket nailed to the studding; it 
is a good design, but must be well nailed. It was sub- 
mitted by Mr. Fred. Black. To remove it, simply saw it 
off even with the sheathing. 

A design for a portable bracket is submitted by Mr. 
Philip H. Miller and is illustrated in Fig. 66; it does not 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



89 



take as long to put up and when taking it down, all you 
have to do is to unhook it. 

It is made in five pieces counting the hook. 




Fig. 65 

We bore inch holes in the sheathing close to the studs 
and put up our bracket. I send you herewith a sketch of 
them. 

The hook is made of malleable iron ; it has a slight 
bevel. The % X 3-inch pieces are bolted on the 2 X 3-inch 
pieces. 



90 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



With these brackets we go any height siding from the 
top down. 

Another form of portable bracket was recently de- 
scribed by a writer in The Master Painter. This is shown 
in Fig. 67. 

The device here shown is a form of scaffold bracket 
used in the country by plasterers and carpenters' when 



^iabolt 




Fig. 66 
obliged to do some work at some high and not easily 
reached part of a building, where the job is of such a 
character that an elaborate scaffolding is out of the ques- 
tion, its smallness not justifying the expense. The figure 
A represents pieces of 3X4; the figure B indicates pieces 
of common inch board. C shows a pole, of such length 
as may be necessary to elevate the scaffold to the desired 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



91 



point. The pole, usually a tall, slender tree that has been 
divested of its branches, is inserted in the angle of the 
bracket, as shown in the cut, and is then pushed upward, 
until the bracket is in the position sought, or where the 
workman wants to stand at work. The foot of the pole, 
if at some distance from the base of the building, may be 




Fig. 67 

secured from slipping by driving a stake there. Two or 
three poles, with a board or more across, can be raised simul- 
taneously in a few minutes, and there you have a strong 
and perfectly safe scaffold to reach the loftiest gable end of 
barn or house, where there is only a barge board to do, as 
a rule. It can be done quite quickly. The figure here 



92 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



shown we drew from a set of brackets that were used on a 
job where we once worked. We would recommend that 
two of them be made when work is slack, so that they will 
be ready when the time comes to use them. 

PORTABLE HORSES 

Saw horses are very awkward to stow away, and it 
is a convenience to have portable ones that can be easily 




^ i 



Fig. 68 

moved from one job to another, 
struction. 



Fig. 69 
Fig. 68 shows its con- 



STEP-LADDER FOR STAIRS 

An ordinary step-ladder cannot be used on stairways, 
but by adding the attachment as shown in Fig. 69 it can 
be used in that position with perfect safety. Fasten on 
an extra pair of legs somewhat shorter than the original 
legs and arrange so that either pair may be used when 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



93 



wanted. Hooks and eyes may be used on the long legs 
to hold them against the ladder when using on a stairway, 
thus making the device easier to move up and down stairs. 
This device was submitted by Mr. John Weldon to Popular 
Mechanics. 



PORTABLE BRACKET 

Mr. P. Van Valkenburg submits a very handy device. 
It is shown in Fig. 70. For getting around on shingle 




c- 



A A — Bottom and end pieces. 
B— Seat. 
C C — Brads. 

Fig. 70 

roofs, patching, fixing chimneys, etc., it is a "short cut," 
simple, inexpensive and ever ready, saving much time in 
finding and making ready other brackets. It can be made 
any size to suit the user. 

Mine was made from a piece of board 9 X 12 inches 
by l 1 /^ inch thick for the bottom pieces after being ripped 
from corner to corner, and a board 12 X 20 inches and 
1 inch thick for the seat, which is all the material required, 
except two little blocks in the corners under the seat, a 



94 HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 

few nails to put it together, and four brads, which are 
also made of wire nails. The drawing explains itself. 

Something different than the portable seat or bracket 
is the roof hook shown in Fig. 71, which was submitted by 
Mr. E. E. Bragg. 

It is very handy in shingling a roof and is easily made. 
Take a rod of iron % inch square, or an old hack tire. I 
believe the hack tire makes the best one, for it is flat and 
will lay down on the roof and is not in the way of the 

chalk line. 

A 




C 
Fig. 71 

At the part C make it by 2 feet long; at A turn a hook 
1% inch each way and make the point sharp, so you can 
hook it over the comb when you get to the top; at B turn 
down 2 1 / 4i inches and up 6 inches, so you can drop a 2 X 4- 
inch timber in it for a scaffold. 

To use just hook the end A in the shingle lath. 

SHINGLE HOLDER 

Fig. 72 shows a shingle holder described by Mr. Harry 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



95 



Kelsey in American Carpenter and Builder. It is for shin- 
gling where the roof is sheathed tight, and especially at the 
top in putting on the last rows of shingles. The object is 
to hold the loose shingles in convenient form for the work- 
men. The hooks are sharp and can be set anywhere on the 
roof or hooked over the comb. If you think it worth while 
to illustrate the drawing, I am sure it will be appreciated 
by many of the readers. It is made out of %-inch steel 




Fig. 72 

pump rod, and any blacksmith can make them. A half 
dozen of these holders will be plenty for most any one. 



HANGING AND LOCKING DOORS 

A rule that is followed by quite a number of carpenters 
was given by Mr. W. F. Petch, and this is to place top hinge 
7 inches from top of door, and bottom hinge 10 inches from 
bottom of door. If three hinges are used, place the middle 
hinge midway between the two, which places it nearer the 
top and relieves the strain on the bottom hinge. I place cen- 
ter of door-knob 2 feet 10 inches from floor; but as a 
general thing each man has a rule of his own. 



96 



hints for carpenters 



FITTING DOORS 

The following hints on this important subject are from 
the pen of Mr. J. C. Browne: 

What the joiner requires is system, accuracy and speed. 

Starting out with these three ideas as a motto, or text, 
he will ask what is the first thing required ? This will be a 
straight edge, which should be made of the lightest dry pine, 
say 6 feet long by 4 inches wide and 1% inch thick. 




Fig. 73 Fig. 74 

Every carpenter is supposed to own a level — plumb and 
true. Most levels have a screw at each end : back out the 
screws and insert a brass eye with wood thread to fill tightly 
the screw hole. Set the level on the straight edge and drop 
long screws through the screw eyes into the wood of the 
straight edge, and you will have a very handy implement 
to help along your work. 

In setting the jambs the head should be dadoed into 
the sides. The sides should be cut neatly off half an inch 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 97 

longer than the height of doors and a mark made on their 
edge, say 12 inches from the bottom. When nailed to- 
gether on the bench, nail a straight-edged piece of lath, 
marked from the width of door at head, at the 12-inch 
marks, to hold the jambs together when setting up as a 
door frame. 

Test the rough door opening with your plumb board; 
if that is correct set up your frame to either rough jamb. 
Try your level on the strip nailed on the 12-inch mark, 
rack the jamb that is low to a level and scribe the other 
to match it and so bring the door head to a level. 

Cut a piece of board the length of the head to set on 
the floor between the jambs so that they can be racked 
to a square and proper width. Then proceed to rack the 
first jamb plumb and straight by your instrument, also 
plumb the other jamb, so that it will be out of wind like its 
mate. All this performance can be gone through by the 
expert quicker than it takes to describe it. 

When there are a number of doors to fit and hang, a 
handy thing to have is a saw bench, made from a piece 
of dry clean scantling, 3X4 inches and about 5 feet long. 
The legs l 1 ^ X 5 inches and 2 feet long and well spread 
at the bottom. Take two pieces of scantling 2X4 inches 
by say 2 feet long and notch them out on center 2% inches 
deep to fit neatly across the upper side of your bench 
(which should be 4 inches wide) and down over its edges 
and sides. These pieces should be movable or adjustable 



98 HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 

and should not be nailed to the bench, only key-wedged if 
necessary; they can in that way be shifted to fit short doors, 
sash, etc., when required. 

On one end of the bench rip out a wedge-shape notch 
or bird mouth to hold the door on edge while being dressed 
and jointed off. Fig. 73 shows the completed bench. 

When starting to fit the door, if it is double-moulded, 
sight the stiles; if not perfectly straight on sides turn 
rounding sides to back, and if in wind, have it so that the 
lock edge of the door strikes the door stop at head first if 
possible. 

These preliminaries require but a moment's time and 
save a whole lot of trouble afterward. 

Lay the door on the cross bars of the bench and take 
a couple of dressed pieces of lath that will slide nicely 
together and take off width of jamb opening at top and 
bottom. Mark the widths on the door, apply the straight 
edge and joint the door, beveling the edges slightly toward 
the face side. The door head may be squared and dressed 
off in the same manner. The door can now be tried in 
place and scribed for the threshold or saddle and allow 
for the clearance at top and bottom. 

In marking the edges of the door for the butts, I use 
a rod with marking needle-points, at the top of the rod 
I screw on the end a thin piece of steel say 1 / 16 of an inch 
or less, letting it project over the edge, as shown in Fig. 74; 
this serves as a fence or guide to top of door while mark- 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 9f> 

ing for butts. Then apply the rod to the jamb of the 
frame pushing the steel plate against the head which will 
indicate the thickness of clearance between the door and 
frame. 

Where neat and well fitting work is required, the door 
jambs should be beveled off slightly with the fore plane 
to relieve them of uneven places on the surfaces. 

DOOR HOLDERS 

In the above article by Mr. Browne, he describes one 
form of a door holder; there are quite a number of other 
forms in use by various carpenters, and it will no doubt 
be of considerable interest to present a few. 




Fig. 75 

One of the simplest is shown in Fig. 75 : it is simply 
any piece of waste wood, cut so that it will fit tightly 
between the jambs, with a notch large enough for the 
door to fit in. 

This door holder is easily put up in any doorway of the 
same size, and is simpler than Fig. 76, which can also be 
made very easily from some waste pieces of studding. 

Fig. 77 shows another simple design which will hold 
the door firmly in place while being worked, and has the 
additional advantage of being very quickly and cheaply 



100 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



made, as all the material can usually be obtained from 
waste pieces on the job. 

The piece A is % X 10 X 20 or 24 inches. B and C 
are % i ncn thick, 10 inches long and 8 or 10 inches high. 
D is a piece 2X2 inches, fastened on the back side of A, 
to take the end thrust of door while being dressed. 




Fig. 76 
B and C are fastened to A by nailing through A from 
the under side. The distance between B and C should 
be same as thickness of door you are working. Drive 




Fig. 77 

nails at E and F, which will secure holder while in use 
and are easily removed, allowing holder to be removed 
from room to room. 

Mr. E. E. Bragg says that the previously described 
door holders are well enough as he has used them, but 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



101 



that the kind shown in Fig. 78 is the best. In his work 
he is called on to plane quite a number of doors and found 
that this one holds the door more firmly. To construct 
this, take, for A, a 1 X 4, 30 inches long; C, a 1X4, 




Fig. 78 

16 inches long; £, a 2 X 6, 7 feet long; and B, just a 
plastering lath or a 1 X 2 nailed on either side to hold 
the door; nail them 1% inch apart, or whatever the thick- 
ness of the door may be. 



D ^^ B 



v sss/y.- 



.V '/ 1 1 *v vN 



Fig. 79 

A very interesting communication was received from 
Mr. F. C. Bell, in which he says his design, Fig. 79, is 
superior to other door holders. 

The one you first described is not a good one to stand 
the end thrust which the door receives when being dressed. 



102 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



The second one, which I used myself until I discovered a 
better way some years ago, has the great disadvantage 
that you cannot drive it tight enough between the door 
jambs without driving them apart, and a door fitted when 
the holder is in place is apt to bind when it is removed. 

Fig. 79 is a sketch of one which I have found to be 
satisfactory in both these respects, and it also has the 
advantage of preserving the lower edge of the door while 
the other is being dressed. 




I 



Fig. 80 

It consists of two pieces of 2 X 6-inch or even 1-inch 
stuff, nailed together at right angles, the bottom one about 
5 feet long, and the other must be cut off so it will not 
come above the door. A brace is fastened on one side at 
C. Two cleats are also nailed on at A to suit the thickness 
of the door, and another one at B will keep the door firm, 
while a nail driven through at D will keep the holder firm, 
and is easily removed, allowing it to be taken from room 
to room. 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



103 



Our old friend the trestle can be used as a door holder 
if the saw horse is made like Fig. 80. This is the sugges- 
tion of Mr. J. M. Karrash. 

Use two trestles, place them in position, so that the 
door will rest as shown; then nail the blocks on the floor 
to hold the door from slipping. 



DOOR AND SASH HOLDER 

For shop use a useful hint is made by Mr. E. S. Frye 
and shown in Figs. 81, 82 and 83. This little tool can 




Fig. 81 — Holder Closed 

be carried in the drawer of your bench, and as it is only 
10 inches long it will not take up much room. The handle 
can be made of hard, tough wood, also the eccentric, which 
must be as thick as the sash or door to be dressed. Holes 
can be bored in the side of bench to admit different lengths 
of sashes and doors, and it takes only a few minutes to 
adjust it. The illustrations explain the method and man- 
ner of construction. 



104 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



TO MAKE BADLY FITTING BLINDS AND 
DOORS SHUT TIGHTLY 

When blinds and doors do not close snugly, but leave 
cracks through which drafts enter, the simplest remedy, 
recommended by Mr. Schuetse, building commissioner in 
Dresden, Germany, is this : Place a strip of putty all along 
the jambs, cover the edge of the blind or door with chalk, 
and shut it. The putty will then fill all spaces which would 
remain open and be pressed out where it is not needed, 
when the excess is removed with a knife. The chalk rubbed 




Fig. 82 — The Eccentric 



Fig. 83 — Holder Open 



on the edges prevents the adhesion of the putty to the 
blind or door, which can then be opened without adhesion, 
and the putty is left in place, where it soon dies and leaves 
a perfectly fitting jamb. Any smart boy can do this. 



HINTS ON FITTING SASH 

Mr. Harry H. Rotherwel sends in a sketch of a "sash 
holder" that will be found to pay for itself in the saving 
it will do in preserving the edge of your plane irons and 
the face of your plane. I myself found it troublesome 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



105 



before I used this plan, as whenever a new building is sup- 
plied with a floor, a troop of spectators will always walk 
up to the windows and look at the surrounding neighbor- 
hood. They carry more or less sand or dirt where they 
walk or step. Often, also, the plastering is done before 
the sash is fitted because the planing mill man is behind 
in deliveries. 



\ 


i i 

f! 

Ox ' ' 

X. X. • • 

i — ^v?X" ■ 

i \\ i i 

XX ' ' 

X \ ! ' 

XX ' 
XX 1 ' 

XX i 

XX ' ' 


1- ~ - 1 



- ..J 



Fig. 84 

From these causes you can well imagine that it is 
impossible to get a clean floor, so when fitting sash they 
should not be placed on the floor, but a holder should be 
used — it will save your planes. 

The holder is shown in the figure and is made of 
% X 4-inch stuff for floor and upright piece ; for the brace 
almost anything will do. 

Nail it together and brace it to the angle of your steel 
square. Fasten a block % X 2 inches and 4 inches long 



106 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



opposite your brace, and it will hold your sash very 
firmly. 

In use the sash holder is nailed to the window sill and 
then you are ready to begin. The upright piece of the holder 
may be 26, 28 inches, etc., according to the height of the 
window sill. 

DOOR CHECK 

Mr. Francis L. Bain submits a design of a door check, 
Fig. 85, which has proved to be exceedingly useful when 
it was desired to hold open any door which was fitted with 
a spring, or a door which was inclined to "slam to" on a 
windy day. 

iwVv^ 



JD oor 



F^rfK] 




////////'//?////// "/ 



Fig. 85 



The check, A (about 7 X % X % inches), is hinged 
on a %-inch dowel, which extends about half-way into 
each of the two supports, B, which are about 3 X % X % 
inches, with two round-head screws attaching each sup- 
port to the floor. A small spring, C, of medium tension is 
let into A near the end as shown, so it just touches the 
floor. A is depressed by a light pressure of the foot and 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 107 

comes back into its original position when pressure is 
removed. The slot is cut to fit the thickness of the door 
on which it acts, and if the point of A extends about 1% 
or 2 inches beyond the surface of the door, and beveled as 
shown, the door will easily ride into the slot without any 
difficulty. 

The check is very useful, as a trial will quickly demon- 
strate. 

The height of this check is determined by the thick- 
ness of the threshold (which is usually about % of an 
inch). If greater or less, the measurements as given can 
be slightly altered to suit conditions. 

A DOOR-KNOB HINT 

A scheme devised by Mr. Irving D. Banks is shown 
in Fig. 86 which will save the stooping pr groping to 
turn the door knob of a door placed at bottom of a dark, 
steep or winding stairway. It may be of service to others. 

It is extremely simple to make, and the cost is prac- 
tically nothing. 

Take a piece of brass about 1 / 32 or Vie i ncrl thick, 
y 2 inch wide and 3 inches long. Bend it around the shank 
of knob, leaving one end projecting. The size of this 
clamp must be slightly less than the size of the shank, so 
the bolt will draw it tight. 

Punch holes through brass where it meets, and also 
a hole through the long end or ear. Bolt clamp to shank 



108 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



so ear is horizontal and connect wire from end hole in 
brass to end hole in a wooden lever, which should be about 
6 inches long and screwed to the door, first putting a little 
block of about % inch thickness between lever and door 
in order to give finger room. 





/VOOD SCREW 








» M 


EVER, 


o 




-WIRE 






»CLAMP 













Fig. 86 

ABOUT HATCHWAYS 

Carpenters are often called upon to fix hatch doors, 
and the usual practice has been to cut a recess in each 
door so as to make a hole in the middle, C (Fig. 87), 
for the rope to go through when both doors are closed. 
The rope, however, does not go down in the middle on ac- 
count of its moving along the drum as it is being unwound 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



109 



or lowered ; hence it is necessary for any one on a lower 
floor to go up stairs and put the rope through the hole 
when it is to be lowered and the hatch doors on the upper 
floors are closed. This causes a good deal of climbing 
stairs and also a considerable amount of swearing. 




Fig. 87 

I have followed the plan of letting the rope come down, 
and where the hook at the end of the rope touches the door, 
to cut the hole there. This will be seen by the above sketch. 
As can be readily seen, the rope can be let down through 
a number of closed hatch doors without its being caught. 

"DEAFENING" FLOORS 

From a French journal we gain another suggestion 



11" HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 

for a method of "deafening" floors, attributed to General 
Loyre, who proposes, instead of loading the floors with 
plaster, to fill in the space between the boarding and the 
plastering of ceiling with shavings which have been ren- 
dered incombustible by dipping them in a tub of thick 
whitewash. As it is known that soft substances inclosing 
air spaces form an excellent non-conducting material to 
sound, it is thought that the shavings so treated will be 
found of great service, and it is said they are so incom- 
bustible as to add considerable to the fire-resisting prop- 
erties of the building. When it is desired to disinfect the 
space between the floor and ceiling, the shavings may be 
saturated with chloride of zinc, or the latter may be added 
to the lime wash. 

SELF-DROPPING BEAMS 

In brick houses the beams should be cut at the ends 
as shown in Fig. 88, so that they will fall out easily 
without overturning the wall in case of fire in the building. 
This makes the insurance rate about 1 per cent, less than 
if the beams were cut so as not to be self-releasing. 

FLOOR ON CONCRETE 

Fig. 89 shows a method of nailing down a wood floor 
over a concrete cellar floor. 

The flooring is nailed to 3 X 3-inch sleepers of trap- 
ezoidal form, about 12 or 14 inches apart, as shown in 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



111 



the illustration. These sleepers are embedded in the con- 
crete so that the tops of the sleepers and concrete are even. 
When the sleepers are made in this form, they are not 
likely to work loose ; as an extra precaution they should be 
nailed at the ends and every 6 feet of span. 





-*s£Hw* 



*-<? 



Fig. 88 



Fig. S9 



A good plan is to cover the top of the concrete with 
one or two thicknesses of tar or sheathing paper and lay 
the floor over this in the regular way. The flooring 
should not be laid until the concrete is thoroughly dry, or 
else the floor is liable to warp owing to the dampness. 



CRACKS UNDER BASE-BOARDS 

When a house settles, it frequently leaves a space 
between the base-board and floor which does not look nice, 
to say the least. To repair this I always nail a strip of 
quarter-round to the floor, hence if any further slight settle- 
ment takes place no opening will show. 

It would be a good plan if this is done in new houses 
of low cost. 



112 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



FILLING FOR CRACKS IN FLOORS 

For filling cracks in floors, boil paper pulp and fine 
sawdust together for several hours and mix with glue dis- 
solved in linseed oil. Put on the filling and leave till partly 
dry ; then cover with paraffin and smoothen with a hot-iron. 

HOW TO PUTTY CRACKS IN FLOORS 

A writer in Popular Mechanics says that many me- 
chanics may have had trouble in filling cracks in floors, 
previous to painting. It seems that no matter how tightly 
the putty is pressed in with the putty-knife, it will rise 




• Fig. 90 Fig. 91 Fig. 92 Fig. 93 

out of the cracks and project above the surface of the 
floor a few days after the paint has been applied, thus 
producing a very undesirable appearance. 

This is usually caused by the presence of dust in the 
cracks and by applying too much pressure to the putty. 
As it is almost impossible to fill the cracks without apply- 
ing considerable pressure to the putty, it becomes necessary 
to remove the dust or dirt. The necessity of this opera- 
tion is illustrated in the accompanying sketch. Fig. 90 
shows a crack in the floor with a quantity of dust at the 
bottom. This dust is compressed by the application of the 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 113 

putty, as shown in Fig. 91, and as the compressed dust 
is somewhat elastic, it tends to expand to its original 
volume. This results in raising the putty from the cracks 
as shown in Fig. 92. 

In order to prevent this defect, run the pointed end 
of a file or other pointed object through all the cracks, 
thus removing all the dust. Then apply turpentine to the 
cracks by means of an oil can. This soaks into the wood 
and causes the putty to stick better, at the same time 
softening the putty and allowing it to fill all parts of the 
cracks as shown in Fig. 93. Cracks puttied in this way 
will remain filled for years and be practically invisible. 

ORNAMENTING WOOD 

Wood can be ornamented by punching down care- 
fully in patterns, planing off a little, and then wetting; the 
parts punched down show in relief against the planed sur- 
face and make quite a puzzle. The edges of the punches 
should not be too sharp. 

TO MAKE A WATER-TIGHT TROUGH 

Joint up the plank and then, with a wide punch, set 
down a groove about Vie i ncn deep along the center and 
extending the whole length of the edge. Then take off 
two or three shavings more and put the trough together. 
When the water gets into the trough, the groove swells 
out again, just the thickness it was at first and, of course, 



114 HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 

two or three shavings thicker than the plank, so closes all 
up tight. 

FIREPROOF WOOD 

A great deal has been said recently about the fire- 
proofing of wood used in building construction, but we 
have seen no hint in regard to the fireproofing of that very 
inflammable material known as excelsior. As our read- 
ers all know, it is a favorite material for the stuffing of the 
cheap kinds of furniture; it therefore finds its way into 
situations where exposure to fire-breeding accidents are 
common, and as a result we have recently had several small 
fires caused by the ignition of the excelsior used under 
such conditions. It would, however, be very easy to ren- 
der all excelsior used for such purposes fireproof by any 
one of several well-known solutions — common alum 
amongst others. The expense would be trifling, and the 
increase in safety would be very great. 

Wood such as shingles may' be rendered comparatively 
fireproof by being first soaked in a solution of alum and 
then whitewashed with lime. The same preparation may 
be applied to thatch, etc. Water containing alum and sul- 
phate of ammonia in solution is very efficient in putting out 
fires. A quart of such water doing as good service as a 
gallon pure water. Hence it is a good plan to dissolve some 
of these salts in any water that may be kept standing in 
vessels for the purpose of extinguishing fires. Another 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 115 

advantage secured by the use of these salts is the fact that 
such water does not corrupt and become offensive. 

FILLING NAIL HOLES 

The reason that nail holes, after being filled up with 
putty, become unsightly by the putty lifting up, is be- 
cause the grains of the wood are crushed down, and when 
the wood becomes damp the grains swell up and lift the 
putty. 

To prevent this, wet the wood around the nail head 
after it has been punched in, which will make the broken 
fibres of wood to expand. When dry, sandpaper smooth, 
when the putty may be placed in the hole. To make the 
putty hold, the broken fibres should be painted first. 

DENTS IN WOODWORK 

Mr. Jacob C. Miller gives the following hints on how 
to take out or raise hammer marks or dents on wood: 

To raise hammer marks in soft woods — such as pine 
— all you have to do is to soak a little sawdust in water 
and apply to the dent and let it stand over night; but if 
you are in a hurry and cannot wait that length of time, 
just fill the dent with wood alcohol, let it stand for a minute 
to soak and then light a match and apply it to the alcohol. 
Watch very carefully so that the wood does not burn. In 
case it does, blow out the flame, and wait a minute or so, 



116 HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 

then fill the dent again with alcohol and repeat the process 
as at first until the dent is raised to the surface of the 
wood. This plan will do the same work on oak. 

I have another little scheme which I think good; that 
is to use beeswax instead of putty in nail holes in yellow 
pine. It matches the color and you cannot tell where the 
nail hole is without a very careful examination. 

CEMENT FOR STOPPING FLAWS IN 

WOOD 

Put any quantity of fine sawdust of the same wood 
your work is made with into an earthen pan, and pour 
boiling water on it, stir it well, and let it remain for a week 
or ten days, occasionally stirring it; then boil it for some 
time, and it will be of the consistence of pulp or paste; put 
it into a coarse cloth, and squeeze all the moisture from it. 
Keep for use, and, when wanted, mix a sufficient quan- 
tity of thin glue to make it into a paste; rub it well into 
the cracks, or fill up the holes in your work with it. When 
quite hard and dry, clean your work ofif, and if carefully 
done, you will scarcely discern the imperfection. 

A VENEERING HINT 

A writer in The Woodzvorker says that in veneering 
onto solid wood, in making mantels, etc., it is possible to 
have the lumber too dry, so that when it absorbs moisture 
it will swell some and the veneer face will crack. Some- 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 117 

times people, in their anxiety to have the lumber dry, make 
the mistake of overdoing it. Old veneer men say that 
lumber, after having been dried, should be allowed to tem- 
per in the open atmosphere for a week at least, before 
being used as a body for veneer. 

ANTIQUE OAK 

To render new oak wainscoting and oak furniture 
dark and give it an antique appearance, we have it from 
good authority that ammonia is the cleanest, best and 
cheapest material that can be used. The liquid stains com- 
monly used are apt to raise the grain of the wood, make 
it rough, and it is with difficulty to tell whether the wood 
is really new or old. A correspondent in the English Me- 
chanic gives the following process of treatment, which he 
considers the best, after trying the various other processes 
used by builders and cabinetmakers to darken woods : 

"Oak is fumigated by liquid ammonia, strength 880 
degrees, which may be bought at any wholesale chemist's, 
at five cents a gallon. The wood should be placed in a 
dark and air-tight room (in a big packing case, if you 
like) and half a pint or so of ammonia poured into a 
soup plate, and placed upon the ground in the centre of 
the compartment. This done, shut the entrance and secure 
the cracks, if any, by pasted slips of paper. Remember 
that the ammonia does not touch the oak, but the gas that 
comes from it acts in a wondrous manner upon the tannic 



I 18 HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 

acid in that wood, and browns it so deeply that a shaving 
or two may actually be taken off without removing the 
color. The depth of shade will entirely depend upon the 
quantity of ammonia used and the time the wood is ex- 
posed. Try an odd bit first experimentally, and then use 
your own judgment. " 

A simpler method, but not so good, is by sponging 
with a strong hot solution of common soda in water. This 
will raise the grain which must be cut down with sand- 
paper. 

CEMENT FOR WOODWORK 

The following cement will be very hard when dry, and 
will adhere firmly to wood : Melt one ounce of resin and 
one ounce of pure yellow wax in an iron pan, and thor- 
oughly stir in one ounce of Venetian red until a perfect 
mixture is formed. Use while hot. 

CLEANING WOODEN FLOORS 

The dirtiest of floors may be rendered beautifully clean 
by the following process : First scrub with sand, then rub 
with a lye of caustic soda using a stiff brush, and rinse 
off with warm water. Just before the floor is dry, moisten 
with dilute solution of hydrochloric acid, and then with 
a thin paste of bleaching powder (hypochlorite of lime). 
Let this remain on the floor over night, and wash in the 
morning. 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 119 

A GOOD WOOD FINISH 

Mix equal parts of good liquid shellac and boiled lin- 
seed oil, and apply it with a piece of cheese cloth. Keep 
applying and rubbing vigorously until the grain is filled, 
then polish off with a dry rag. The result is the same as 
varnish, well rubbed. 

A particularly fine finish can be given in this way to a 
piece of turned wood while it is still revolving in the lathe. 
If necessary, the wood may be first stained to any desired 
color. 

TO POLISH FLOORS 

Put some spermaceti into a saucepan on the fire, and 
mix it with enough turpentine to make it quite fluid; then 
with a piece of flannel put it very thinly on the floor. It 
must then be rubbed with a dry flannel and brushed in 
the same way that oak stairs are polished. This part of 
the process, rubbing and brushing, takes a long time to 
do thoroughly. 

Another: Dissolve half a pound of potash in three 
pints of water, in a saucepan on the fire; when the water 
boils, throw in one pound of beeswax cut up in small pieces ; 
stir it well until the wax is quite melted. When the polish 
is cold, if it be too thick, add more water. 

To apply this polish, use a brush and paint the boards 
evenly with it; and when it has dried, rub them with a 
flannel tied at the end of a broom. 



120 HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 

WAX POLISH FOR WOOD 

An excellent wax polish for wood is made by boiling 
a quarter of a pound of white wax with one ounce of 
pearl ash in a quart of water. It should be continually 
stirred while boiling until thoroughly cool. It is applied 
to the surface of the wood with an ordinary paint brush, 
and rubbed briskly until dry with a velvet or plush rubber. 
A very high polish is the result. 

VARNISHING 

When varnishing fretwork use white hard spirit var- 
nish; it requires no size; the application is to be made in 
a warm room; or fill in the grain of the wood with glue 
size and varnish with brown, hard varnish. 

VARNISH REMOVER 

A strong application of ordinary spirits of camphor 
will remove almost any kind of polish or varnish. Give 
the spirit time to evaporate before repolishing, or it will 
injure the new polish. 

TO REMOVE STAINS FROM WOOD 

To half a pint of soft .water put an ounce of oxalic 
acid and half an ounce of chloride of antimony ; shake well, 
and when dissolved it will be very useful in extracting 
stains, as well as ink from wood, if not of too long 
standing. 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



121 



PUTTING UP SHELVES 

The putting up of a shelf is, it would seem, too simple 
a subject for any one to bring out anything new, but the 
following hints by Mr. Emery H. Chase will be found 
of interest to every carpenter : 

How many of the carpenters have been called upon to 
put up shelves in lath-and-plastered houses, where there 




Fig. 94 

is no sheathing behind the lath and where the lath are 
nailed against the studding? 

Well, you all know, very likely, that the studs seldom 
come in the right place in which to fasten the shelf brackets, 
so the brackets will be spaced rightly from the ends of the 
shelf. Here is a way out : 

Make the shelf like Fig. 94 with a piece behind it, as 



122 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



shown. By this method it will not matter whether the 
studdings come squarely behind the shelf or nearer one 
end. The back piece can be nailed to the studding wherever 
they happen to come ; and the brackets can be spaced rightly 
with the shelf and placed against the back piece. The 
illustration shows two studs "out of center," as they usually 
happen to be. 




Fig. 95 



Wherever it might be considered that the back piece 
would not look well, a very narrow one could be used close 
up under the shelf (Fig. 95). A wooden bracket would 
probably be necessary, however, as the backpiece would 
hold the iron bracket too far from the wall and the wooden 
one could be cut to fit the backpiece. 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



123 



FLOUR BOX 

In finishing a house a carpenter is often called upon 
to make a flour box, hence the design in Fig. 96, by 
Mr. C. B. La Croix, will be a good hint. 




Fig. 96 

The ilustration shows a suitable flour box for 
a pantry or other similar place which may be easily made 
by any carpenter. 

A shows the front ; this is made the same as the other 
parts of the pantry. B is a 2 X 3-inch piece into which 
the shaft, C, is fitted. The square, D, is a %-inch board 



124 



PUNTS FOR CARPENTERS 



fastened to the box, which is cut out as shown, as this 
curved cut makes it more convenient to take the box out 
or placing it in. F is the back part. G is the stop fastened 



\3\ 




Fig. 97 
to B. H H are strips to which the back and front is 
fastened. The shaft, C, must be set accordingly, so that 
the box remains in or out, as desired. 

COAL OR WOOD BOX 

Mr. C. S. Frye submits a plan, in Fig. 97, of a box 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 125 

that will answer equally for wood or coal. This box 
can be swung between two studs which have been bored 
through at C with an inch bit and about 10 inches from the 
floor; this is to admit a rod which runs through both ends 
of the box and the studding on each side permitting it to 
swing in or out. The wood can be put in from the out- 
side by lifting up the zinc lid, D. When not in use, it can 
be pushed outside and out of the way. 

A HANDY TRUCK 

Here is a very handy truck for various uses: A car- 
penter can put his tool chest on it and take it anywhere 
on a comparatively smooth surface. 




Fig. 98 

The roller is 4 inches in diameter and 12 inches long. 
The top is 16 inches wide and 18 inches long — some might 
prefer it longer. 

The side pieces are cut from a single 2 X 4-inch plank ; 
cut at the proper angle, as shown. For the top any inch 
pieces will do. 

The axle in the roller should be %-inch round iron or 
steel. It is shown complete in Fig. 98. 



126 HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 

This truck will transport heavy timber, boxes, and is 
very handy to move stoves, trunks, etc., says Mr. D. J. 
Dodrill. 

GAUGING SIDING 

Mr. Fred Black says that he has seen many carpenters 
who will go to work and gauge the siding with a scratch 
gauge and think they are doing a good job, but they are 
simply doing a bad thing. It is all right to gauge the 
siding, but never use a scratch gauge, as in a short time 
you will find that the siding has cracked where the scratch 
was made. Use a pencil to mark with and do a first- 
class job. 

SIDING GAUGE 

Thinking that a few hints on beveled siding would be 
of interest, Mr. William Sinnigen contributes the fol- 
lowing : 

I have been in some of the Western States, but have 
never seen any way to beat our method of doing it here, 
either for speed or for making a good job. 

The tools needed are a good, sharp pony saw — No. 10 
will do — a small try square, block plane, pair of compasses, 
and a hammer. The first thing we do is to get a pair 
of saw horses and put a plank about 16 feet long on them ; 
this is to lay the bundles of siding on while gauging them. 
Then we put some bundles of siding on the horses, picking 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 127 

the lengths that will cut to the best advantage, and laying 
them so it will not be necessary to turn them when we 
are ready to gauge them. Then, after finding the distance 
between water-table and the under side of window sills, 
and then from under side of window sills to top of drip 
cap or molded cap, as the case may be, we gauge enough 
siding to about cover the spaces and then cut one end 
square slightly under toward back of boards, so the face 
will fit snugly against corner boards, window casings and 
door casings, which should be planed slightly standing to 
make a good, tight job. When working on small stretches 





, 4 - ^ 4 y/ ^ 

Fig. 99 

between windows I always cut enough boards to fill the 
space square on one end and half an inch longer than the 
distance between casings. By doing this cutting or gaug- 
ing on the ground or floor of building, the balance of work 
on scaffold can be done much more rapidly, and the 
boards can be handled easier when putting on the siding. 
After the first board is on, we tack a few six-penny finish- 
ing nails on the gauge line to rest the next board on, and 
so on to the finish. It is customary in this section to have 
the siding lap as near to one inch as possible to make a 
good job, also to use a good brand of building paper under 



128 HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 

the siding, and the better class of houses are sheathed 
with matched or shiplap hemlock or common pine, sur- 
faced one side. Six-penny nails are used to fasten the 
siding with, and I have found that by driving the nail at 
a slight angle they hold better than when driven straight, 
and they will set in so that they can be puttied by the 
painter. Fig. 99 shows a sketch of the gauge, as we use 
it, a is a recess to hold a pencil. 

TEMPLATE FOR RAFTER CUTS 

As hip roofing seems to be the order of the day, Mr. 
W. F. Petch sends in the following hint: 

Fig. 100 is a design for a template for laying out jack 
rafters which I consider quite a time-saver. It may be 
old to some, but is nevertheless good. Take two pieces of 
board and nail them together at right angles as per sketch, 
making top board at least twice the thickness of jack rafter 
plus thickness of board in center, and the center board 
as wide or a little wider than rafter ; cut bevel for edge 
of jacks on top board right and left, and down cut on 
center. The opposite end might have cuts for hip and 
valley in same manner. 

A ROOF-FRAMING HINT 

No doubt many readers are young carpenters who 
are studying the various articles and books giving instruc- 
tion of how to get the various cuts for the different rafters 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS . 129 

used in roofs, etc. But it is not every young man who 
has the good fortune of being able to apply this to actual 
work soon after learning about the new method. 

The writer has been in this position, but has overcome 
this deficiency by working out the problems on a small 
scale — that is, I use small strips of pine (%X% in ch) 
for the rafters. These strips are very cheap, and every 
young carpenter can certainly afford to work out prob- 

B 




bop view 





side vieur 

A = cuts for edge hip or valley. 
B = cuts for edge of jacks. 
C = down cvt for hip or valley. 
D = plumb cut. 

Fig. 100 
lems in this way. He will learn how to frame roofs, etc., 
much better than by reading alone. For shingles I used 
small pieces of cardboard. 

RAFTER GAUGE 

When laying out rafters, I find it a handy thing to 
have a smooth board on which are marked the bevels for 
the various cuts to be used. All that is necessary is to 
set the bevel as shown in Fig. 101. It is a time-saver. 



130 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



SHINGLES 

A prominent shingle manufacturing concern sends out 
a circular of instruction to carpenters, as follows : "A 
shingle, like a board, will split or check more easily in 
the centre than elsewhere, and therefore the centres of 
one tier of shingles should not cover joints of the tier 
below. To avoid this, break joints one-third the dis- 
tance from the edge, and thus make a roof that will not 
leak. Always nail on the same edge, so that when the 
shingle seasons, it will not crack or check. Do not nail 




Fig. 101 

cypress shingles on both edges. If shingles are five inches 
wide, one nail is sufficient ; if six inches wide, use two 
nails, but on the same edge, and about one inch from the 
edge." The circular claims that cypress shingles do not 
rust nails, and that, if they are laid according to the fore- 
going instructions, the roof will remain perfect. Dealers 
in cypress shingles would do well to note down these direc- 
tions and chisel them into the minds of green or careless 
carpenters. Without doubt, in case they are followed, 
there will be no complaints about cypress shingles splitting. 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 131 

LOOKING INTO DARK PLACES 

It is often necessary to examine the bottom of a tube 
or hole. Wells and gun-barrels afford familiar examples. 
Nothing is easier, provided we illuminate the cavity by 
means of a good light thrown down by a mirror. For wells, 
cisterns and ponds a good common hand-mirror will an- 
swer, but for narrow tubes, like gun-barrels, a little man- 
agement is required. The mirror must be held so as to 
reflect a strong light (sunlight is best, but any good lamp 
will do) down the barrel, and at the same time it must be 
so placed that the eye can see past its edge and look down 
the tube. This can be done, but a great improvement 
is to scratch a small oval hole in the silvering, so as to leave 
the mirror transparent at this point. It then becomes easy 
to look down the barrel through this hole, while the sil- 
vered part of the mirror covers the whole of the tube 
and throws a flood of light down it. In this way rust spots 
and imperfections can be detected at the bottom of the 
smallest bores. 

For wells and ponds no such refinement is necessary. 
When the sun is shining brightly, hold a mirror so that 
the reflected rays of light will fall into the water. A 
bright spot will be seen at the bottom, so light as to show 
the smallest object plainly. By this means we have ex- 
amined the bottoms of wells fifty feet deep, when half full 
or more of water. The smallest straw or other object 



132 HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 

can be perfectly seen from the surface. In the same way 
one can examine the bottom of the ponds and rivers, if 
the waters be somewhat clear and not agitated by winds 
or rapid motion. If a well or cistern be under cover, or 
shaded by a building so that the sunlight will not fall near 
the opening, it is only necessary to employ two mirrors, 
using one to reflect the light to the opening, and another 
to reflect it down into the water. Bright sunlight may be 
thrown fifty or a hundred yards to the precise spot desired 
and then downward. 

We have used the mirror with success to reflect 
light around the house to a shaded well, and also to 
carry it from a south window through two rooms 
and then into a cistern under the north side of the 
house. Half a dozen reflections of light may be made, 
though each mirror diminishes the brilliancy of the light. 
Let any one not familiar with the method try it, and he 
will not only find it useful, but a very pleasant experi- 
ment. It will, perhaps, reveal a mass of sediment at the 
bottom of a well that has been little thought of, but 
which may have been a frightful source of disease by its 
decay in the water. 

TO SPACE BALUSTERS EVENLY 

Lay the balusters together and measure across them ; 
subtract this amount from the distance or space to be 
enclosed, then divide by the number of balusters plus one. 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 133 

If a piazza opening 11 feet 6 inches long is to have 
a railing made up of 30 balusters iy 2 inches wide, we 
first multiply 1^X30 = 45 inches for the total width 
of the balusters; subtracting this from the 11 feet 6 inches 
(or 138 inches), we have 138 — 45 = 93, which we di- 
vide by the number of balusters plus one: 93 -*- 31 = 3 
inches for the distance between balusters. 

HANGING TRANSOMS 

Whenever possible, hang transoms so that when they 
are open the glass will rest on the wood and not on the 
putty and tins. 

RIGHT AND LEFT-HAND LOCKS 

A lock which, when the bevel of the spring-catch is in 
front of the observer, shoots toward the right, is a right- 
hand lock; if it shoots toward the left, a left-hand lock. 

DOORS ON PUBLIC BUILDINGS 

Country builders are continually ignoring the law and 
common-sense by hanging the outer doors of churches and 
halls of amusement to open inwardly. This is legally and 
morally assuming an unnecessary risk. All builders should 
know that a law exists throughout the United States to 
compel builders, architects, or trustees to hang doors on 
all churches or public halls so as to swing outwardly. To 
do so might prevent a catastrophe. 



134 HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 

REMOVING PUTTY FROM GLASS 

Dip a small brush in nitric or muriatic acid, and with 
it paint over the dry putty that adheres to the broken 
glasses and- frames of the windows. After an hour's 
interval the putty will have become so soft as to be easily 
removed. 

SAVING WINDOWS 

Sash frames, with sash weights, locks and trim com- 
plete, may be taken out of old buildings that are being 
taken down, and preserved just as good as new by screw- 
ing slats and braces on them, which not only keeps the 
frames square, but prevents the glass from being broken. 
Doors, frames and trim may also be treated in like 
manner. 

TO REMOVE SPLINTERS 

When a splinter of wood gets lodged beneath the nail 
and it would be torture to dig it out, try putting on a 
poultice of common yellow soap and sugar mixed into a 
soft paste with a silver spoon and put on a soft, clean rag. 
Tie it around the nail where the splinter is lodged and 
in the morning the bit of wood will be seen nearer the top 
of the nail, often sticking right out so that a slight pull 
is all that is necessary to remove it. 

A writer in The Woodworker says that a man who 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 135 

has worked wood for a great while is apt to be skilled in 
the extraction of splinters with a jackknife, but a pair of 
good tweezers is a mighty soothing tool to have at hand 
now and then. 

TO STOP MOUSE HOLES 

Plug up the hole with common soap, as rats, mice, 
roaches and ants will not attempt to go through it, not 
liking the taste. 

A HINT ABOUT ROPES 

The fact that a rope will shrink if it is moistened has 
been frequently put to practical use when the tackle for 
raising a heavy weight has been just a little too low and it 
was impossible to get the load any higher. Wetting the 
ropes makes them shrink, thereby raising the load. 

FUN WITH THE CARPENTER 

The carpenter has many tools. You may augur from 
this that he has to brace up a bit to keep them awl sharp. 
This adze to his labor, which should be borne in mind by 
those who would chisel him out of his earnings. 

THE CARPENTER— A MIGHTY. MAN IS HE 

The carpenter is a pillar of society, and though coping 
with all sorts of difficulties, is seldom floored. He writes 



136 



HINTS FOR CARPENTERS 



no political articles for the columns of the press, excepting 
now and then something relating to "cabinet work." 

A writer in The Woodworker says that one can tell 
by seeing a new man handle a hammer whether or not 
he has had much experience in handling the tool. If 
not, he will catch the handle close to the hammer, peck 
away at the speed of a trip hammer and hardly move the 
nail at all unless it is to bend it. But if he "knows how" 
he will catch hold at the end of the handle make long, 
even strokes, thus bringing into play the added leverage 
of the handle and muscle combined, and the nail can be 
seen to sink perceptibly at every stroke. 



INDEX 



A 

PAGE 

Antique oak 117 

B 

Balusters, to space evenly 132 

Band sawing 25 

Bars, pinch 50 

Base board, cracks under Ill 

Beams, self-dropping 110 

Bench hook 58 

Bench stop 57 

Blinds shut tightly, to make 104 

Boring 55 

Box for coal or wood 124 

Box for flour 123 

Bracket, portable 93 

Brackets for scaffold 88 

Brackets for shelves 122 

puffer, a simple , , , , , 59 

(137) 



138 INDEX 

c 

PAGE 

Carpenters, fun with 135 

Cement for wood 116, 118 

Chisels 54 

Cleaning wooden floors 118 

Coal box 124 

Counterboring 55 

Cracks in floors, filling 112 

Cracks under base-board Ill 

Cypress shingles .1 129 

D 

Deafening floors 109 

Dents in wood, to remove 115 

Door check 106 

Door holders 99 

Door-knob improvement t 107 

Doors, fitting 96 

Doors for hatchway 108 

Doors, hanging 133 

Doors, hanging and locking 95 

Doors shut tightly, to make 104 

Dovetailing trick 87 

Drawknife, use of 44 

Drilling overhead holes 44 

F 

File for cutting glass 54 

Filing saws ^. 14, 17 



INDEX 139 

PAGE 

Finish for wood 119 

Fire extinguisher H4 

Fireproof wood 113 

Fitting doors 95 

Floor on concrete 110 

Floors, cleaning 118 

Floors, deafening 109 

Floors, to polish 119, 120 

Flour-box 123 

G 

Gauge for rafter 129 

Gauge for siding 126 

Glass cutter 54 

Glass, removing putty from 134 

Glue heater, electric • 84 

Glue joints, repairing 85 

Glue pot, repairing 83 

Glue, removing 60 

Glue, to prevent cracking of 85 

Grinding edge tools 32, 40 

Grindstone, how to use 40 

H 

Hacksaw 24 

Hammer handle improvement 49 

Handles on tools 54 

Hanging doors 95 

Hatch doors 108 



140 INDEX 

PAGE 

Holes, to stop mouse 135 

Horses, portable 92 

I 

Illuminating dark places 131 

L 

Ladder for stairs 92 

Left-hand lock 133 

Levels 47 

Lignum-vitse mallet 53 

Locking doors 95 

Locks 133 

Looking into dark places 131 

M 

Mallet, selecting 53 

Marking tools 11 

Marks on rules to show plainly 55 

Mitre square, using handsaw in place of 19 

Mouse holes, to stop 135 

N 

Nail box 81 

Nail holes, filling 115 

Nails, drawing 79 

Nails, use of . . , 77 



INDEX 141 

o 

PAGE 

Oak, antique 117 

Oil stones 37 

Oil stones, cases for * 37 

Oil stones, leveling of 39 

Oil stones, wearing of 39 

Ornamenting wood 113 

P 

Paint, removing 43, 59 

Pinch bars 50 

Plane irons, sharpening 30 

Planes, improving worn 34 

Planing cross-grained stuff 36 

Plumb rules 45 

Pole, repairing a broken 85 

Polish for floors . . 119, 120 

Putty, removing from glass 134 

R 

Rafter gauge 129 

Rafter, template to aid cutting of 128 

Reel for chalk line 49 

Right-hand lock 133 

Roof framing 128 

Roof hook 94 

Ropes 135 

Rule, holding the 12 

Rust, prevention of 7 

Rust, removing 10 



142 INDEX 

s 

PAGE 

Sandpaper, folding 63 

Sandpaper holder 62 

Sash fitting 104 

Sash holder 103, 105 

Saw, hand 25 

Saw blades for scrapers 61 

Saw-file as a glass cutter 54 

Saw-filing vise 29 

Saw, hack 24 

Saw handles 16 

Saw, square hole 49 

Saw, teeth on point 20 

Saw, thin 48 

Sawing quickly 21 

Saws, filing 14 

Saws serving as other tools 19 

Saws, setting 17 

Saws, straight cutting 16 

Saws, testing 18 

ScafTold brackets 88 

Scraper for removing glass 60 

Scraper from old saw blade 61 

Scrapers, sharpening 40 

Screw and nail box 81 

Screwdriver edge, renewing 51 

Screwdriver, horizontal 53 

Screwdriver improvement 52 

Screwdrivers 51 

Screws, driving 79 



INDEX 143 

PAGE 

Screws, loosening 80 

Scroll work 26 

Seat for roof work 93 

Seeing into dark places 131 

Sharpening plane irons 30 

Sharpening scrapers 40 

Shellac, removing 43, 59 

Shelves 121 

Shingle holder . 94 

Shingles . 129 

Siding, gauging 126 

Spirit levels 47 

Splicing timbers 86 

Splinters, removing 134 

Stain remover 120 

Stairs, step-ladder for 92 

Steel square, protecting the 13 

Step-ladder for stairs 92 

Template for rafter cuts 128 

T 

Timber splicing 86 

Tool boxes 64 

Tools, care of 6 

Tools, effect of light on 6 

Tools, keeping handles on 54 

Tools, handsaws used as other 19 

Tools, home-made 48 

Tools, marking 11 

Tools, preventing rusting of 7 



144 



INDEX 



PAGE 

Tools, purchasing 5 

Trammel points, easily made 63 

Transoms, hanging 133 

Trestle, portable 92 

Trestles as door holder 103 

Trough, water-tight 113 

Truck, a handy 125 

V 

Varnish, removing 43, 59, 120 

Varnishing 120 

Veneering 116 

Vise 56 

W 

Washita oil stones . . . . 37 

Water-tight trough 113 

Wax polish for wood 120 

Wood box 124 

Wood, cement for 116, 118 

Wood,, cleaning ±18 

Wood, finish for 119 

Wood, fireproofing 113 

Wood, ornamenting 113 

Wood, removing dents in 115 

Wood, removing stains from 120 



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